One of Australia’s chief research groups is setting up a centre to focus on the true causes of serious accidents and injuries.

An unprecedented three year study will be undertaken in Victoria, where the state government aims to reduce road trauma by 30 per cent by 2022.

The Enhanced Crash Investigation Study (ECIS) will examine more than 400 serious injury crashes in microscopic detail, hoping to gain new insight into the specific causes of crashes.

The $8 million Monash University Accident Research Centre (MUARC) initiative will pore over more than 5,000 individual pieces of information on 400 separate crashes.

Lead research Associate Professor Michael Fitzharris said the study would come at crashes and their fallout with a more rounded approach.

“This is the first time we have had the opportunity to take such an holistic approach to why and how serious injury accidents occur so that we can determine how it can be prevented in the future,” Associate Professor Fitzharris said.

“This study will provide us with significant detail into the behavioural elements of serious injury accidents and why they occur.”

Researchers will interview survivors of the 400 cases, investigate all elements of the crash site, types of injuries and vehicles.

Associate Professor Fitzharris said each crash would be reconstructed using sophisticated technology, which will include retrieving data from recorders in modern cars which often store the five seconds of data leading up to a crash, much like black boxes in aeroplanes.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to validate what the drivers have been saying and providing information that we’ve not had before.”

“This information will then be used to guide and inform decisions about where to best invest money to save lives and prevent injuries.”