A paper titled Identifying driving profiles after take over request in automated vehicles at SAE levels 2 and 3 authored by Marios Sekadakis, Sandra Trösterer, Peter Moertl and George Yannis has been published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. The analysis included clustering to develop distinct driving profiles based on key measurements collected through a driving simulator experiment, such as acceleration, deceleration, and speed, offering a deep understanding of driver behavior in responses to take over requests. Findings suggest that the nervous driving profile, although less frequent, poses significant safety implications due to higher deceleration rates and variability in speed and deceleration. The study also highlights that non-driving related tasks increase the need for longer take over time with greater variability observed at higher automation levels. These insights can inform the design of more adaptive HMI systems, enhance real-time feedback mechanisms, and improve driver training programs to ensure safer transitions during take over requests. 

A paper titled Evaluating the Environmental and Safety Impacts of Eco-Driving in Urban and Highway Environments authored by Marios Sekadakis, Maria Ioanna Sousouni, Thodoris Garefalakis, Maria Oikonomou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis has been published in Sustainability. Within a group of 39 participants aged 18–30, multiple driving scenarios were conducted, both without and with eco-driving guides, to assess the impact of eco-driving behavior on environmental sustainability and safety outcomes. Data on pollutant emissions, as well as crash probability were utilized using linear regression models, while binary logistic regression models were employed to assess crash probability. The analysis revealed thateco-driving led to a significant reduction in pollutant emissions, with CO₂ emissions decreasing by 1.42%, CO by 98.2%, and NO_x by 20.7% across both urban and highway environments, with a more substantial impact in urban settings due to lower average speeds and smoother driving patterns. These findings support the integration of eco-driving techniques into transportation policies and driver education programs to foster sustainable and safer driving practices. 

A paper titled Examining the effects of texting, web surfing, and navigating apps on urban driving behavior and crash risk authored by Maria Oikonomou, Foteini Orfanou, Marios Sekadakis, Dimosthenis Pavlou and George Yannis has been published in Traffic Safety Research. This study collects driving data from 36 young adult drivers through a driving simulator experiment, supplemented by a survey to gather participant characteristics and driving profiles. Data analysis utilized linear and binary logistic mixed models to explore the effects of texting and web surfing on speed and its deviation, headway distance and its deviation, and crash risk. Results indicate that using texting, web surfing and navigating applications while driving elevate crash risk by 10% and decrease speed, speed deviation, headway, and headway deviation by 9%, 23%, 6%, and 18%, respectively. These findings underscore the crucial role of specific smartphone applications in shaping driving behavior and emphasize the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the associated risks in urban driving scenarios. 

A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “The impact of alcohol consumption on driving in rural roads using a driving simulator” was recently presented by Giorgos Papadakis. For this purpose, a driving simulation experiment was conducted with 35 drivers of different characteristics, who were required to drive under varying blood alcohol concentration levels. Additionally, data were collected through questionnaires, including demographic characteristics, driving habits, and perceptions regarding alcohol-impaired driving. Data analysis was performed using statistical and mathematical models, such as linear regression and binary logistic regression, revealing that increased BAC leads to a longer reaction time, higher accident probability, and reduced ability to maintain a safe distance from the preceding vehicle. The results confirm the significant impact of alcohol consumption on driving safety and emphasize the necessity of additional preventive measures.  

A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Predicting driver behaviour in a cross-country naturalistic driving study using machine learning techniques” was recently presented by Giannis Roukos. For this reason, valuable data on driver behavior were collected through a driving experiment conducted under real-world conditions in Belgium and the United Kingdom. In the initial analysis, the importance of the variables was calculated using the “Random Forest” algorithm, based on which nine input variables were selected for further analysis. Findings suggest that the average speed of the vehicle was identified was the most significant variable, while sudden driving events, including both harsh acceleration and harsh braking, were found to significantly influence the classification of driving behavior as dangerous.  

A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Cost-benefit analysis of reducing speed limits on Greek highways” was recently presented by Michalis Nikolaou. For this reason, participants evaluated choices based on travel time, fuel consumption, and accident risk. Three scenarios were analyzed: (I) reducing the speed limit from 130 to 120 km/h, (II) reducing it to 110 km/h, and (III) no change, using binary and multinomial logistic regression models. To assess economic viability, a Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) was conducted for the period 2023-2033. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers and stakeholders, offering an in-depth understanding of public perception and acceptance of lower speed limits, which is crucial for developing effective and widely accepted road safety interventions in Greece.  

The Horizon Europe research project IMPROVA has recently released its IMPROVA 2nd Newsletter, which provides information on the latest outcomes of the EU-funded IMPROVA project focusing on enhancing road safety by addressing the complexities of long-term consequences (LTC) caused by road traffic accidents. This newsletter announces the 2nd Knowledgebase Forum (KBF) which will focus on the advancements in the topic of Long-term consequences: Scales, Virtual Testing and Human Body Models, which will take place in Vilnius Lithuania, on September 8 2025, as well as its presence at the International Congress on Transportation Research, which will be held in  Thessaloniki, Greece on 16-18 October 2025. The Project also announced the 3rd IMPROVA General Assembly which will take place on June 16-18 2025 in Warsaw, Poland. Special focus was given to the Data Protection Impact Assessment training carried out by NTUA, in which consortium members gained valuable insights. 

According to the European Commission preliminary statistics, fewer people died on European roads in 2024, a slight 3% drop compared to 2023,  which is the equivalent to 600 fewer lives lost. In 2024, Around 19,800 people were killed in road crashes in the EU. Road Safety progress across the EU remains uneven, with some countries making significant strides while others struggle to reduce fatalities. Over the past five years, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy have seen only modest declines in road deaths, while Ireland and Estonia have experienced an increase – although annual fluctuations in smaller countries tend to be more pronounced. In contrast, Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia are making strong progress toward the 50% reduction target. Even if road fatalities decreased more significantly in 2024 than they did in 2023, the overall pace of improvement remains too slow, and most Member States are not on track to meet the EU’s goal of halving road deaths by 2030. 

Eurocities organized with great success the Impacts and Evidence Webinar “How to move from regulation to effectiveness of speed reduction strategies a task force on 30 km/h and speed reduction in cities”, which was held online, on 14 March 2025. As part of the activities of the Eurocities Task Force, 20 cities actively involved to organize this Webinar on impacts of 30 km/h in which 200+ cities participated. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:

•  Review of 30 km/h speed limit benefits in Europe

The Hellenic Association for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS Hellas) in cooperation with the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT/CERTH) and the  I-Sense Group of the Institute of Communications & Computer Systems (ICCS), are organizing the 10th ITS Hellas Conference, which will take place in Athens, on 7-8 May 2026. The theme of the Conference will be “Competitiveness, Accessibility, Resilience in Transports & Logistics”, focusing on the developments in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems in Greece. The conference will also include a parallel exhibition of cutting-edge technologies as developed by local initiatives, innovative actions, pilot research projects and companies active in the field.   

Chemnitz University of Technology is organizing the HUMANIST Conference 2025 which will take place in Chemnitz, Germany on 27-29 August 2025. The focus of this event will be on innovative and intelligent mobility solutions and applications for diverse user groups. The Conference will bring together researchers, experts and stakeholders from several multidisciplinary communities that are active in the field of Human Factors in Transport. It is going to be a unique and attractive forum to present current and planned activities as well as to share ideas and experiences. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 30 March 2025. 

A paper titled Using computer vision and street-level videos for pedestrian-vehicle tracking and behaviour analysis, authored by Roberto Ventura, Stella Roussou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Benedetto Barabino and George Yannis has been published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Using advanced computer vision object detection and feature extraction models, this framework integrates Kalman filtering, homography transformations, and object re-identification to achieve high accuracy. This study utilizes data from roadside video recordings from Athens, Greece. The findings show accuracy rates of 50%-70% in detecting traffic light statuses and identified a 23% discrepancy on average between manual and automated counts of illegal crossings. This paper underscores the potential of computer vision detection systems to provide reliable, real-time data that takes the road network conditions into account, ultimately contributing to safer urban traffic management and informed policy decisions. 

The European Commission together with the European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI), the US Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the World Conference on Transport Research Society are organizing the ITF Annual Summit Research Sessions, held as part of the 2025 ITF Annual Summit, which will take place in Leipzig, Germany, on 21-23 May 2025. The Research Sessions will promote exchanges between research experts and policy practitioners focused on the Summit themes. This event will focus on key shocks such as natural disasters, pandemics, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical crises, which can cause operational delays, economic losses, and diminished public confidence. 

The International Transport Forum (ITF) is organizing the ITF 2025 Summit which will be held in Leipzig, Germany, on 21-23 May 2025. The theme of the event is “Transport Resilience to Global Shocks”. The ITF Annual Summit is the world’s largest gathering of transport ministers and the premier global transport policy event. Since 2008, ministers from ITF’s 69 member countries, heads of international organisations, parliamentarians, and leaders in industry and academia have met annually during the event. 

The International Motor Vehicle Inspection Committee (CITA) and TÜVTÜRK are organizing the CITA International Conference and the 24th CITA General Assembly which will take place in Istanbul, on 6-8 May 2025. The theme of the Conference is “Alliances for Safer Roads and Greener Future”. This event is an opportunity to connect with key decision-makers in vehicle inspection, road safety, and sustainable mobility. 

The Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) of the European Commission announced a reinforced platform for dialogue and co-creation of actions to implement the 2021 EU Urban Mobility Framework.  The Expert Group for Urban Mobility, released 17 new Reports on mobility and road safety, reaffirming the EU’s long-term strategic goal to achieve as close to zero deaths and zero serious injuries on the EU’s roads by 2050. The goal is stronger engagement by Member States and improved dialogue with cities, regions and stakeholders on all urban mobility issues. 

The European Road Safety Charter of the European Commission, has recently published a new Article, exploiting the latest statistics from across Europe for helmet use and seatbelt/child restraint systems, two of the most widespread safety equipment. Through this article, the Chapter increases the attention over the coming months to the use of safety equipment, hoping to achieve the EU’s objective of halving the number of road deaths by 2030. The data suggests that when cycling, helmet use reduces the risk of serious head injury by 60% and fatal head injury by 71%, also according to the WHO, wearing a quality motorbike helmet reduces the risk of death by over six times and the risk of brain injury by up to 74%. Wearing a seatbelt reduces the risk of death and injury by around 60% for drivers and 44% for rear-seat passengers. Correct use of a child restraint system reduces the risk of being killed or injured by around 55% to 60% compared with children who are not buckled up. 

The International Road Federation (IRF) is organizing the CulturalRoad Launch Workshop which will be held online, on 20 March 2025. This Workshop introduces the Horizon Europe CultoralRoad project’s methodologies, tools, and stakeholder engagement approach to advance the equitable deployment of Cooperative, Connected, and Automated Mobility (CCAM) services. The event also includes breakout discussions where participants will be invited to share their perspectives on challenges, societal acceptance, and expectations for CCAM deployment. 

The Institute of Transport Economics (TOI) is organising the 13th International Cycling Safety Conference (ICSC2025) which be held in Oslo, Norway, on 4–6 November 2025. The ICSC is the central meeting place for research aimed at improving cycling safety through scientific work. The annual ICSC conferences aims to disseminate relevant scientific findings to everyone interested in cycling safety and offer a first-class forum for sharing scientific results and learning from one another. This year’s theme is “Knowledge for Prevention”. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 25 April 2025. 

The European Road Safety Charter of the European Commission, has recently published a Guide on how to run effective road safety awareness campaigns, highlighting their role in improving road safety, including in urban areas. The Guide provides practical advice on how to design, implement, and evaluate such campaigns to enhance road safety efforts, including examples of campaigns from cities across Europe. These initiatives aim to inform, persuade, and encourage individuals to adopt safer behaviours on the road, thus leading to a 5-10 % reduction in road crashes, reinforcing their importance in broader road safety strategies.  

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) has recently published a book edited by Aliaksei Laureshyn, Niels Agerholm and Matúš Šucha, titled “Traffic Safety Data: Sources, analysis and applications”. It examines the different data types that can be collected and used for monitoring, analysing, and improving road safety, including chapters on police records and accident modelling, healthcare system records, self-reporting of accidents, data from insurance companies, and more. This book provides a wide and up-to-date perspective on relevant traffic safety data, helping to broaden the horizons for safety experts and also to promote a more knowledge and data based approach to traffic safety management. 

The International Transport Forum (ITF) together with the World Health Organization (WHO), recently launched “The Global Road Safety Assessment Framework for Corporate Action and Reporting” to support businesses in integrating robust road safety practices into their operations and value chains and thereby contribute to the global effort to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries. The development of this Framework was initiated in response to a call from Transport Ministers representing over 60 countries to enhance road safety practices across corporate value chains and align them with the Global Plan for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, by incorporating key standards and guidelines. 

UNRSF at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which was held at Morocco, Marrakesh on 18-20 February,  reaffirmed their commitment to making roads safer. This event mobilised critical funding to support life-saving road safety initiatives in over 125 low and middle income countries facing the highest road crash fatalities. In line with its mission to drive systemic changes in road safety, the UNRSF announced eight new projects, tackling key road safety challenges, from strengthening motorcycle safety laws and sustainable financing to improving enforcement and protecting vulnerable road users. 

The International Transport Forum (ITF) has recently published its new Safe System Tool, with the active contribution of NTUA, which offers a user-friendly interface to navigate through the International Transport Forum’s framework for implementing a Safe System. The Tool helps road safety stakeholders to evaluate how their strategies, projects or plans contribute to a Safe System, since it visualises opportunities for improvement and helps to identify effective interventions to save lives. 

Armira Kontaxi has successfully defended her PhD dissertation titled: The Driver Behavior Telematics Feedback Mechanism, under the supervision of NTUA Prof. George Yannis. Data from a 21-month naturalistic driving experiment involving 230 drivers across six feedback phases generated a robust dataset of 106,776 trips, covering 1.3 million kilometers. Advanced statistical and machine learning models, including Generalized Linear Mixed-Effects Models (GLMMs), Structural Equation Models (SEMs), and Survival Analysis methods (e.g., Weibull AFT, Cox-PH with frailty, and Random Survival Forests), were utilized to analyze behavioral metrics such as speeding, mobile phone use, harsh braking, and accelerations which demonstrated substantial impacts on reducing risky behaviors. Key findings suggest that the overall impact of feedback significantly improved driving behavior and safety, with notable variations across user groups and driving contexts. Urban environments demonstrated the most substantial reductions in mobile phone use and harsh events, likely driven by the heightened complexity and demands of navigating urban settings. These findings highlight the need for continuous and adaptive engagement strategies, incorporating diverse features tailored to the specific needs of different user groups and driving contexts, to ensure long-term effectiveness and sustained safety improvements.  

The Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) of the European Commission released the Statistical Pocketbook 2024 “EU Transport in figures”. In this Statistical Pocketbook, key road safety Tables are contained, together with several other Tables on transport statistics, providing a complete picture of current trends in transport in Europe. Data on road fatalities for the EU Member States and associate countries allow for time series comparisons and country rankings.  

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety recently launched their mobility snapshot tool, an interactive map which shows the realities of how unsafe the streets are as well as the solutions that can make the communities more livable and sustainable, enabling access to education and work. Data are collected at specific intersections in local communities from 118 Mobility Snapshots in 44 countries at intersections across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. Key findings show that more than 156,000 pedestrians use these 118 intersections during peak hour, yet 102 of them lacked traffic calming measures or a speed limit of 30 km/h or lower.  

The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety recently published a White Paper based on global best practices, in consultation with Alliance member NGOs, ensuring safe motorcycle helmets through appropriate laws, enforcement, and promotion. Through this White Paper, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and its over 395 member NGOs from more than 100 countries, will assist Governments achieve the reduction of road fatalities and injuries needed to accomplish the vision of having zero road deaths and injuries by 2030.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of  NTUA,  SWOV and KFV  launched a safe mobility promotion activity focusing on vulnerable road users, providing in-depth analysis of road safety for cyclists, pedestrians, powered two-wheelers, and users of personal mobility devices. According to the new Reports from the European Road Safety Observatory, one key finding shows that infrastructure improvements, such as segregated bike lanes, significantly reduce the risk of serious accidents for cyclists. As for pedestrians, older individuals are disproportionately represented in fatality statistics. Powered Two-Wheelers face a significantly higher risk of dying on European roads compared to other motor vehicle users. The PMD report reveals a sharp rise in incidents involving e-scooters, particularly in cities and highlights the need to address aspects relating to the vehicle, infrastructure and rider behaviour to address this emerging challenge.     

The Horizon Europe research project metaCCAZE has recently released a new Blog Post authored by Evi Koliou on AI and Smart Cities. As stated, AI-driven solutions can transform urban environments, since smart traffic control systems are no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality. These AI-driven systems optimise traffic flow, reduce congestion, and cut down emissions. By leveraging connected vehicle data and digital twins—technology that simulates real-world scenarios—we can develop road safety strategies that save lives. A crucial aspect of urban mobility transformation is the widespread adoption of 30 km/h speed limits in cities in Europe and worldwide. Research has shown that reducing speed limits in urban areas can save lives as no other road safety measure before (an average of 37% less fatalities on cities adopted the 30km/h), and creates a more pedestrian and cyclist-friendly environment. By making AI-driven mobility solutions inclusive, particularly for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, and people with disabilities. Also, implementing lower speed limits in urban areas plays a key role in this, fostering a safer, more welcoming environment for all.