Author: Konstantinos Kaselouris
The Centro Nazionale per Mobilità Sostenibile (MOST) in cooperation with Politecnico of Milano organised with great success the G7 Transport Academic Workshop, which was held in Milan, on 10 April 2024. This workshop with theme “Planning for Resilient Transport Systems” consisted of 4 sessions, including issues related to road safety, such as principles and measures for network resilience, decision-making and trade-offs and policies and practices for mitigation and adaptation. The Workshop results were presented to the Meeting of the Ministers of the G7 world’s advanced economies. 
NTUA Professor George Yannis actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA Professor George Yannis actively contributed with the following presentation:
The new EU road fatalities by age and gender table of the NTUA Road Safety Observatory, based on European Commission CARE data for 2022, provides an overall view of the distribution of fatalities between the different age groups and genders. It can be clearly observed that far more males than females are killed in road crashes in all EU countries. Furthermore, most road fatalities occurred within the 65+ age group, while the lowest rates are recorded for children under 15 years old. 
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Subjective Safety Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) Report which focuses on the subjective experience of feeling safe or unsafe in road traffic using different transport modes. Based on data from the ESRA project it is shown that road users feel safer in order importance as: pedestrians (6.7-8.8), car drivers (5.9-8.3), cyclists (4.5-7.3) and motorcyclists (4.5-6.5). 
Dimitris Nikolaou has successfully defended his PhD dissertation titled: Machine learning-based road crash risk assessment fusing infrastructure, traffic and driver behaviour data, under the supervision of NTUA Prof. George Yannis. Two distinct databases were developed; the former concerned motorway segments and the latter concerned urban and interurban road segments. Several statistical models (e.g. Logistic and Negative Binomial Regression, Hierarchical Clustering, Spatial Error Model) and Machine Learning Algorithms (e.g. Decision Tree, Random Forest, K-Nearest Neighbour and Support Vector Machine) were implemented. The results revealed that crash frequency on motorway segments is positively correlated with the traffic volume, the segment length, the number of harsh accelerations and the number of harsh brakings per segment trips. It was also concluded that geometrical and behavioural parameters can be combined to meaningfully conduct road safety analysis spatially and proactively, as they are highly correlated with harsh braking Surrogate Safety Measures. 
The European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures (ASECAP), supported by the Associazone Italiana Societa Concessionarie Autostrade e Trafori (AISCAT), is organising the 51st ASECAP Study & information days conference, which will be held in Milan, on 13-15 May 2024. This conference with theme “Innovation as a key tool to reach safe, inclusive and green mobility solutions” will focus on how to provide equal access to mobility services being a key point for social and economic developments.
A paper titled “RSS2022 Conference: Advanced Road Safety Analyses” authored by George Yannis and Eleonora Papadimitriou has been published in Safety Science. This collection reflects a concerted effort to advance scientific knowledge in road safety, aiming to mitigate crash fatalities and injuries in the digital era through innovative quantitative research methods. 
An NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Model for the assessment of cycling routes in Athens with high resolution data” was recently presented by Aristeidis-Vasileios Kanakis. For this purpose, the critical factors that influence the cycling trips carried out in the areas of Chalandri and Vrilissia, utilizing crowdsourced data from the “Strava Metro” platform, were identified. The results demonstrate a positive effect of the average speed of cycling on the number of cycling trips. The most critical influencing factors on cycling trips concern road infrastructure and traffic conditions on each road section, such as the average speed of cycling trips, the category of road section and its length.
An NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “The influence of the penetration of autonomous vehicles on road safety” was recently presented by Antonia Antonakaki. For this purpose, an analysis of simulation data was carried out around the Villaverde network in Madrid. The application of the models revealed that the factors influencing the above variables have to do with both traffic composition data (vehicle type) and road infrastructure data (road type, road capacity). It is highlighted that increasing the Market Penetration Rate (MPR) of autonomous vehicles in the network was found to have, quantifiable positive effects on road safety.
An NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Investigation of employee preferences in Athens towards the “Bike to Work” scheme” was recently presented by Konstantinos Aggelakis. In order to achieve this, factors influencing the decisions of workers to use a soft mode of transportation such as bicycles and scooters (electric or conventional) for their commutes in Athens are examined, as well as how the existence of a bicycle lane network affects this decision. Polynomial models demonstrate that increased time and cost savings in commuting do not significantly affect the choice of bicycle or scooter as a commuting mode, contrary to health improvement, while commute duration and commuter age are also significant factors in the choice of micro-mobility modes.
AMRKS and Tempulli Academy are co-organising the 10th International Conference “AI – Cyber Security and Road Safety” which will be held in Prishtina, on 7 May 2024. In this conference, the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be discussed, as an important potential in increasing road safety. IA’s road safety and mobility initiative aims to increase road safety using innovative technologies to complement the action plans of the UN General Assembly Resolution on improving global road safety.
The World Road Association (PIARC) recently published a Report titled “PIARC Global Road Safety Exchange“ with emphassis on Low and Middle Income countries, with the active contribution of NTUA. This Report reflects the wealth of information contained in PIARC multi-annual road safety work about safe infrastructure, the design and operation of road tunnels, speed management, the collection and analysis of road safety data, management, human behaviour, vulnerable road users and vehicles. PIARC recommendations will help to develop expertise in road safety and to adopt the «Safe System Approach» to reducing fatal and serious crashes on the road network worldwide.
The International Transport Forum (ITF) has recently published a new Report titled “Safer Micromobility“ co-authored by George Yannis, Virginia Petraki and Philippe Crist. This Report examines safety aspects associated with the increasing use of e-scooters and other forms of micromobility in cities. Micromobility is becoming safer (per miles driven), but an increase in severe injuries from e-scooter crashes is cause for concern. The Report considers a comprehensive set of recommendations in line with the Safe System Approach, to make urban traffic with micromobility safe, including in street layout, vehicle design and vehicle operation, user education and enforcement of rules. It also asks whether a shift towards micromobility can have potential overall traffic safety benefits.
The World Road Association – PIARC recently published a Report titled “Models for Sight Distance in Road Design“. This work provides an overview of the importance of comparing international road design standards to check their updated status and the degree of their readiness to face the forthcoming innovations in road mobility and safety. This report also assesses possibilities of transferring models to other road design standards mainly in Low- or Middle-Income Countries.
Τhe European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 46th PIN Flash Report titled Reducing Road Deaths on Rural Roads. This Report examines the latest data on rural road deaths from across the EU and other countries that form part of ETSC’s Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) programme. It also looks at the main measures for reducing the risks to road deaths on rural roads including recommendations to national governments and EU about infrastructure, speeds and speed limits, vulnerable road users (VRUs) and vehicle safety.
The European Commission published the road fatalities collision matrix in urban roads in the EU. The available EU-wide data for 2022 contained in the CARE database, demonstrate that 38% of road traffic fatalities occured in urban areas, with vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two-wheelers) representing almost 70% of total fatalities. This collision matrix shows clearly that urban road user fatalities occur overwhelmingly when a crash involves cars and vulnerable road users, underlining the need to improve protection of these vulnerable road users. Furthermore, the high number (31% of the total crashes) of single vehicle crashes of cars and two-wheelers demosntrate the critical role of speeding in the cities.
The European Commission published a breakdown of fatalities in the EU by road user and (other) “main vehicle” involved in the crash. The matrix shows clearly that fatalities overwhelmingly occur in collisions involving cars, and the need to increase the protection of vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, motorcyclists and cyclists. EU policies are already evolving in this direction with the new mandatory safety measures introduced by the General Safety Regulation focused on VRUs.
The results of the ESRA3 (E-Survey of Road users’ Attitudes) global survey on road users’ safety attitudes, self-declared behaviour on traffic and other background data such as exposure and traffic legislation, have recently been visualized through the ESRA3 Dashboard. VIAS, with the active contribution of NTUA, has produced the 39 Country Fact Sheets that show national results compared to regional average values. Several other Thematic Reports are expected to be published in 2024.
The European Commission published preliminary figures on Road Safety in the EU, showing that around 20,400 people were killed in road crashes last year, a small 1% decrease on 2022. This represents however 2,360 fewer fatalities (-10%) compared with the pre-pandemic year 2019. It is remarkable that within urban areas, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists and users of powered two-wheelers) represent almost 70% of total fatalities, whereas EU-wide, more than 2,000 cyclists were killed in 2022.
The International Commission for Driver Testing (CIECA) in cooperation with the Roads & Transport Authority of Dubai organised with great success the 56th CIECA Congress, which was held in Dubai, on 5-8 March 2024. This congress, titled “Preparing drivers for smart mobility and road safety”, allowed for vivid discussion on key safety measures for driver testing and safer driving from across the world. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The World Road Association – PIARC recently published a DataBook of Roads and Road Transport for 2020-2023. This report focuses on the collection of various data related to roads, road transport and safety which are internationally comparable with their accuracy and consistency ensured. Infographics of key road data and synthesis results highlight the current status of roads at global and regional level.
The World Bank Global Road Safety Facility (GRSF) in collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies Initiative for Global Road Safety and UK Aid have recently published the Guide for Safe Speeds Report: Managing Traffic Speeds to Save Lives and Improve Livability. This Report outlines interventions that work and provides guidance on how to select and implement speeds that are safe for all road users, including city-wide 30km/h speed limits. It also explains how barriers to changing traffic speeds can be overcome.
The Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM) of the European Commission has recently delivered its first set of Recommendations. These Recommendations focused on three pillars: how to ensure prioritisation of public transport in urban areas, how to increase public transport inclusiveness and how to deal with the worker shortage and evolving skill requirements of the public transport sector. Road safety is an important component of these Recommendations.
The European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI) organized with great success the 7th ECTRI Safety Webinar, which was held online on 23 February 2024. The scope of the Safety Thematic Group concers safety culture, safe mobility for all, automation and digitalization safety implications, transport safety data collection and use and safety in junctions. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA Professor George Yannis made a key contribution to the vivid debate for the future of mobility & transport in Europe, organised by the European Commission – DG Move on 21 February 2024 in Brussels. He attempted to decode the slow deployment of vehicle automation, the role of artificial intelligence and digitalisation together with the necessary new business models for automated mobility in Europe stating that “Automation should be seen more as a social than a technology challenge“. 
On the occasion, he also promoted strongly Public Transport as the only way to serve the increased urban and interurban transport demand in Europe and the 30km/h city-wide speed limits for safer, healthier and greener cities in Europe.
The Private Passenger Car Owners Association of Greece organised with great success the Vision Zero Road Crashes Conference which was held in Athens on 21 February 2024. This Association contributes to the improvement of the country’s road network safety, ensuring better traffic conditions for passenger cars. This conference focused on if and how it is possible to have zero road crashes in Greece. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Road Safety Country Profiles, which provide a comprehensive overview of the road safety status in the 27 EU Member States and three EFTA countries for the period 2012 to 2021. These country profiles exploit data and information from a range of sources, including the CARE and other international databases, as well as national sources, in order to highlight current road safety outcomes, performance indicators, policy & measures and structure & culture for each country.
The International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS) is organising the 12th International Cycling Safety Conference (ICSC2024) which be held in Imabari, Japan, on 5–7 November 2024. The ICSC is a forum for researchers and experts in the field of cycling safety to exchange their knowledge and bring up new research topics and safety solutions. This year’s conference focuses on exploring cycling safety culture. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 30 April 2024.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Cyclists Thematic Report which refers to users of a conventional bicycle or a pedelec/e-bike, i.e., an electric powered bicycle offering pedal assistance up to approximately 25 km/h. This Thematic Report describes how cyclists participate in traffic, as well as cyclists in relation to road safety hazards. Furthermore, countermeasures about infrastructure, bicycle-related measures, protective measures, enforcement and traffic education are suggested.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Seniors Safety Thematic Report which refers to people aged 65 years and over. This Thematic Report describes how seniors participate in traffic, as well as seniors in relation to road safety hazards. Moreover, countermeasures about infrastructure, road users fitness-to-drive and training, vehicles systems, automation and bicycles for seniors are suggested.
The Access Management Committee of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) is organising the 4th Access Management International Conference which will be held in Boston, USA, on 24-26 June 2024. This conference with theme “Access Management: Safety and Design from the Curb to the Interchange for All Users” aims to promote idea sharing and showcases practitioner-ready techniques and academic work on the interaction between transportation and land use. The focus topic areas being discussed are design, safety, land use and legal issues.
