Lisa Wundersitz

Dr Lisa Wundersitz

Grant-Funded Researcher (C)

Centre for Automotive Safety Research

Faculty of Sciences, Engineering and Technology

Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD - email supervisor to discuss availability.


I am an Associate Professor at the Centre for Automotive Safety Research (CASR) at the University of Adelaide. With a PhD in Psychology and over 25 years of working in road safety, I have extensive experience in leading applied human factors research aimed at influencing road user behaviour. At CASR I lead a team of committed researchers in the Human Factors road safety research cluster. My research interests cover a diverse range of road safety topics including driver distraction, novice/young road user safety and licensing, evaluation of road safety programs and communication campaigns, rural road safety, driver impairment (alcohol and drugs), driver fatigue, restraint use, traffic enforcement and penalties, and Aboriginal road safety. My research on a wide range of road safety projects has provided strategic guidance and influenced Government policy across Australia and New Zealand. I was appointed as an inaugural member of the Road User Safety Advisory Committee which is responsible for providing high level strategic advice to the Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services on road user safety initiatives across South Australia. While my research covers many areas within road safety, I am most passionate about research that can uncover solutions to improve road safety in regional and remote areas and for young road users/novice drivers.

Research interests

  • Road safety in regional and remote areas 
  • Young/novice driver safety
  • Graduated licensing programs
  • Child road safety issues
  • Development and evaluation of communication campaigns
  • Driver impairment (alcohol, drugs, fatigue)
  • Driver distraction and inattention
  • Risky road user behaviour
  • First Nations road safety
  • Evaluation and enhancement of road safety initiatives
  • Transport in workplace health and safety, including quad bike safety

    Please contact me if you are interested in any of these topics for a PhD, Masters or Honours project.

  • Appointments

    Date Position Institution name
    2025 - ongoing Associate Professor University of Adelaide
    2017 - 2024 Senior Research Fellow University of Adelaide
    2007 - 2016 Research Fellow University of Adelaide
    2004 - 2011 Facilitator, Driver Intervention Program Department for Planning, Transport, and Infrastructure
    1996 - 2006 Research Assistant University of Adelaide
  • Education

    Date Institution name Country Title
    2007 University of Adelaide Australia PhD
    1996 University of Adelaide Australia BA (Hons)
    1995 University of Adelaide Australia BA
  • Research Interests

2025         New Zealand Automobile Association (NZAA) Research Foundation: New Zealand defensive driver training course review, Principal Investigators: Matthew Baldock, Lisa Wundersitz

2024-2025 Austroads: Evaluation of Hazard Perception Tests and development of guidance, Principal Investigator: Simon Raftery, Co-investigators: Lisa Wundersitz, Martin Elsegood

2024     Transport Canberra and City Services, ACT: Development of ACT Road safety automated enforcement strategy Principal Investigator: Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators: Lisa Wundersitz, Jamie Mackenzie, Simon Raftery

2024     Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: SARIC training, Road Safety Management, Principal: Woolley, Co-investigators: Wundersitz, Mackenzie, Stokes, Mongiardini, Van den Berg, External Principal: Small, Edwards, Jordan, Matthews

2024: AA Research Foundation, New Zealand: Driver licensing and training in New Zealand. Principal Investigators: Matthew Baldock, Lisa Wundersitz

2024     Motor Accidents Insurance Board, Tasmania: Evaluation of the MAIB funding of the Road Safety Advisory Council, Principal Investigators: Jeremy Woolley, Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery

2023: Department of Transport and Planning, Victoria: GLS extension for older novice drivers: Evidence gathering and literature review. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: Trevor Bailey, Simon Raftery, Matthew Baldock

2023: Transport Accident Commission, Victoria: Hazard perception training literature review. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: Simon Raftery

2023: Austroads: Hazard perception test characteristics. Principal Investigator: Matthew Baldock, Co-Investigators: Simon Raftery, Lisa Wundersitz

2022-2023: Department of State Growth, Tasmania: Review of community road safety attitudinal surveys in Tasmania. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz

2022: Transport Accident Commission, Victoria: Simulator/virtual reality literature review and defensive driver training literature review. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: Simon Raftery, Trevor Bailey

2022: Transport & Main Roads, Queensland: Evaluation framework for the Road Safety Penalty Review. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: Craig Kloeden, Matthew Baldock

2021-2023: Austroads: Guide to Road Safety – Practical approaches for managing regional road safety priorities. Safe System Solutions Principle Investigator: Tana Tan, Co-investigators: Kenn Beer, Paul Zlatkovic. CASR Principle Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: Chris Stokes, Craig Kloeden

2021-2022: Lifetime Support Authority, South Australia: Alcohol, illicit drugs and prescription medications in road crash hospitalisations. Principal Investigator: Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators: Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery, Sally Edwards

2021: Transport & Main Roads, Queensland: Evaluation framework for mobile phone and seatbelt cameras. Principal Investigator: Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators: Craig Kloeden, Lisa Wundersitz

2021: Motor Accidents Insurance Board, Tasmania: Evaluation of the MAIB funding of the Road Safety Advisory Council, 2021. Chief Investigators: Jeremy Woolley, Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery

2021: Transport Canberra and City Services, ACT: Review of mobile device detection camera locations in the ACT. Principal Investigator: Jamie Mackenzie Co-investigators: Craig Kloeden, Lisa Wundersitz, Martin Elsegood

2020: Transport for New South Wales: Review of drink and drug driving offender programs in Australia. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators: James Thompson, Simon Raftery, Trevor Bailey

2020: Department of Transport and Main Roads, Queensland: Drink driving reform program evaluation methodology. Principal Investigator: Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators: Craig Kloeden, Simon Raftery, Lisa Wundersitz

2019: Australian Automobile Association: Best practice review of Keys2Drive. Principal Investigator: Trevor Bailey, Co-investigators: Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery, Matthew Baldock

2018: Austroads: National view on regional and remote road safety. Principal Investigator: Lisa Wundersitz, Co-Investigators: Peter Palamara (C-MARC), Kate Brameld (C-MARC), Simon Raftery

2017-2018: Justice and Community Safety Directorate, ACT: An evaluation of the ACT Alcohol and Drug Awareness Courses.  Investigators: James Thompson, Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery

2017: Motor Accidents Insurance Board, Tasmania: Evaluation of MAIB funding of the Road Safety Advisory Council 2014-16. Principal Investigator – Jeremy Woolley, Co-investigators - Lisa Wundersitz, Munish Kumar, Christopher Stokes

2017: Royal Automobile Club of Victoria: Are young adult's licencing rates declining: Update. Principal Investigator - Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators - Trevor Bailey, James Thompson

2015-2016: NSW Centre for Road Safety, Transport for NSW: Review of the NSW traffic offender program. Principal Investigator - Simon Raftery, Co-investigators - Lisa Wundersitz, Trevor Bailey, James Thompson

2014-2015: SafeWork SA WHS Commissioned Research Grants Program: Quad bikes in South Australia: an assessment of their use, crash characteristics and their associated injury risks. Principal Investigator - Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators - Sam Doecke, Simon Raftery, James Harrison (NISU)

 2014-2015: NRMA ACT Road Safety Trust Grant, Road Safety Grant Program: Transportation of children with bicycle seats, trailers and other carriers: considerations for safety. Principal Investigators -  Simon Raftery, Lisa Wundersitz, Jeremy Woolley, Jennie Oxley (MUARC)

2014-2015: Royal Automobile Club Victoria Road Safety Research Fund: Are young adults’ choices of travel mode changing?  Principal Investigator - Trevor Bailey, Co-investigators - Lisa Wundersitz, Simon Raftery, Matthew Baldock

2011: Main Roads Western Australia: The review of penalties under the Road Traffic Code 2000, including consideration of the management of recidivist speeding offenders. Principal Investigator -Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators - Jennifer Grigo, Simon Raftery, Lisa Wundersitz, Mary Lydon

2011: Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Canberra: Knowledge network for alcohol and other drugs in the civil aviation industry. Principal Investigator - Matthew Baldock, Co-investigators - Lisa Wundersitz, Jennifer Grigo, Simon Raftery

2010: SafeWork SA OHSW Commissioned Research Grants Program: Best practice in OHSW mass media campaigns. Principal Investigator - Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigators - Jeremy Woolley, Mary Lydon

2010: South Australian Motor Accident Commission: School based road safety education. Principal Investigator - Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigator - Simon Raftery

2009: Department of Transport, Energy and Infrastructure, South Australian Motor Accident Commission: On-road observational surveys of restraint use. Principal Investigator - Lisa Wundersitz, Co-investigator - Robert Anderson

  • Committee Memberships

    Date Role Committee Institution Country
    2024 - ongoing Member Australasian College of Road Safety Executive Committee, SA Chapter Australasian College of Road Safety Australia
    2023 - ongoing Member Women in Road Safety Network Executive Committee Australasian College of Road Safety Australia
    2021 - ongoing Member Road Trauma Analysis Committee University of Adelaide Australia
    2019 - ongoing Advisory Board Member South Australian Road User Safety Advisory Committee SA Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Australia
    2019 - 2023 Member Behavioural Traffic Safety Cooperative Research Program Project Panel: Highway safety behavioural strategies for rural areas Transportation Research Board United States
    2019 - 2022 Member Australasian Road Safety Conference Scientific Sub-Committee Australasian College of Road Safety Australia
    2011 - ongoing Member Driver Intervention Program Reference Group Department for Planning, Transport, and Infrastructure2011 -
    2009 - 2011 Representative Motor Accident Commission Minor Works Community Grants Program Motor Accident Commission -
  • Memberships

    Date Role Membership Country
    2022 - ongoing Member Australasian College of Road Safety Australia
    2016 - ongoing Member Healthy Development Adelaide -
  • Position: Grant-Funded Researcher (C)
  • Phone: 83136298
  • Email: lisa.wundersitz@adelaide.edu.au
  • Fax: 82324995
  • Campus: North Terrace
  • Building: Engineering Annex
  • Org Unit: Centre for Automotive Safety Research

Connect With Me
External Profiles