Passenger Safety Research
Passenger Safety research investigates the human factors of passenger behaviour in a wide range of transport settings. Research into this area was initiated by Professor Helen Muir, following the Manchester air accident in 1985. Early research was focused on investigating the influence of aircraft cabin design and cabin crew procedures on the efficiency of passenger evacuations - a major research innovation was the introduction of cash bonuses for the first "passengers" to evacuate, to stimulate the competitive behaviours in evidence in real life-threatening emergencies.
The expertise and unique facilities at Cranfield University in this area have led to recognition as world leaders in the field. The Passenger Safety research activities are not limited to emergency evacuation, with research and consultancy conducted across a range of areas within passenger and crew safety and transport sectors, including aviation and rail.
The Department house two full-scale cabin evacuation simulators – a wide bodied, double deck modular cabin and a narrow bodied cabin, which are used to conduct research into emergency evacuation and passenger behaviour.
