The International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) of the International Transport Forum (ITF/OECD) published the Road Safety Annual Report 2024, on the development of road safety in 2023. It is based on data from 40 IRTAD member countries, with some preliminary data also for the year 2024. The main findings revealed that  in 2023, there were 2338 less fatalities than in 2022, also road deaths decreased by 2% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023. However, the considerable journey ahead should be acknowledged, in order to achieve the global target of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.  

A paper titled Driving Automation Systems Penetration and Traffic Safety: Implications for Infrastructure Design and Policy authored by Antonia Antonakaki, Maria Oikonomou, Thodoris Garefalakis and George Yannis has been published in Infrastructures. The study aims to evaluate the impact of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) penetration rates on traffic safety, through the use of microscopic simulation scenarios, utilizing multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression models. The findings highlight that higher AV penetration rates generally improve traffic safety, although the coexistence of conventional vehicles and vehicles equipped with driving automation systems introduces traffic heterogeneity, potentially influencing safety outcomes. These results suggest that while AVs have a positive effect on road safety, further analysis is needed to address the complexities introduced by mixed-traffic conditions. 

CRC Press has recently published a book written by Peter Sweatman titled “Approaches to Road Safety: Evolution, Challenges, and Emerging Technologies”. It examines the evolution of safety practices, explores the role of emerging technologies such as connected and automated vehicles in achieving safer roads and highlights ongoing challenges in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, including the strategies of Vision Zero and the safe system. Offering valuable insights, this book will appeal to professionals in the fields of safety, human factors, the automotive industry, traffic control, vehicle standards and regulations, transportation systems and road safety policy. 

A new book titled Using Artificial Intelligence to Solve Transportation Problems edited by Aleksander Sładkowski has been recently published. This book offers a comprehensive exploration of AI and digitalization solutions for diverse transportation challenges. The monograph examines various problems in the transport industry that find their solutions using AI, from fully autonomous vehicles to the use of AI as an assistant in solving logistics problems, using different approaches that exist in different countries, with different levels of economic development or well-being of the population. NTUA actively contributed with the following chapter, co-authored by Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis:

• Key Artificial Intelligence and Digitalization Solutions Towards Vision Zero in Road Safety

The Horizon Europe research project metaCCAZE has recently released the metaCCAZE 2nd Newsletter, which provides information on the latest outcomes of the EU-funded metaCCAZE project aiming to accelerate the deployment of smart systems that combine electric, automated and connected technologies and infrastructure, enabling zero-emission shared mobility services for both passengers and goods in European cities. Celebrating its first anniversary, metaCCAZE has made significant strides in its mission. The newsletter highlights the advancements in the four Trailblazer Cities—Amsterdam, Munich, Limassol, and Tampere—as they develop and implement innovative mobility solutions. These cities serve as pioneers in adopting and testing the project’s MetaInnovations toolkit. In addition to the Trailblazer Cities, six Follower Cities—Athens, Krakow, Gonzo, Milan, Miskolc, and the Paris region—are actively participating in the project. They are preparing to implement and demonstrate successful use cases and MetaInnovations, facilitating the transfer of knowledge and best practices across Europe. The newsletter also announces an Open Call for metaCCAZE Observer Cities, inviting additional municipalities to join the initiative. This expansion aims to broaden the project’s impact, fostering a collaborative environment for cities to share experiences and strategies in advancing zero-emission shared mobility services. 

The Male and Female Road Users Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by the Université Gustave Eiffel, with the support of  of NTUA. This report explores gender-based differences in self-declared risky behaviors, risk perception, and support for road safety policies across 39 countries. Results indicate that men engage more frequently in risky behaviors compared to women, while women exhibit higher support for road safety policies and greater risk perception. Notably, gender differences are less pronounced among cyclists and motorcyclists compared to car drivers.  

The Cyclists Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by DTU, with the support of  of NTUA. The report provides comprehensive insights into the frequency of cycling, infrastructure usage, and self-declared safety behaviors among cyclists in 39 countries. Key findings indicate that the Netherlands and Denmark lead in frequent bicycle use, while cycling without a helmet and listening to music are the most common risky behaviors. Recommendations include improving cycling infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, and encouraging helmet use among male cyclists​.  

The Support for policy measures and enforcement Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by SWOV, with the support of NTUA. This report analyzes public support for key road safety measures (e.g., drink-driving policies, speed limits, helmet mandates) and the perceived and actual enforcement of road safety laws. Results reveal strong regional variations, with higher support for helmet use and alcohol interlocks in America8 and AsiaOceania6. Results indicate that gender and age disparities influence attitudes towards these policies​ significantly.  

The Driving under the influence (DUI) of alcohol, drugs or medication Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by VIAS Institute, with the support of NTUA. The report provides a detailed analysis of self-declared behaviors, perceived acceptability, and attitudes towards impaired driving across 39 countries in Europe, America, and Asia-Oceania. Key findings show notable differences between regions, with higher self-declared DUI rates in Luxembourg, Thailand and Mexico, while countries like Kyrgyzstan, Armenia and Japan report the lowest rates. The report also highlights the role of enforcement perception and the need for improved DUI countermeasures​.  

Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety has been awarded the prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award 2024 as recognition for its Accountability Toolkit, developed with the active contribution of NTUA. This Accountability Toolkit is an innovative product that equips NGOs to help their governments fulfill their accountability for reducing road deaths and injuries and the 2030 targets. The Toolkit is a practical resource for NGOs and other civil society advocates and is underpinned by five Priority Interventions that have been proven to be among the most effective in reducing road deaths and injuries. 

The European Council has recently adopted the negotiating position on driving disqualifications in order to improve road safety in the EU aimed at improving road safety through the mutual recognition of driving disqualifications across EU member states. This initiative focuses on strengthening enforcement measures for serious traffic offenses, such as speeding, driving under the influence, and dangerous driving, ensuring that penalties are upheld across borders. The proposed rules aim to enhance road safety by closing legal gaps that allow offenders to evade penalties when driving in other EU countries. 

A paper titled Predicting risky driving behavior with classification algorithms: results from a large-scale field-trial and simulator experiment authored by Thodoris Garefalakis, Eva Michelaraki, Stella Roussou  Christos Katrakazas, Tom Brijs and George Yannis has been published in European Transport Research Review. The study analyzed large-scale data from real-world driving and simulator experiments, highlighting that models can predict dangerous behaviors, such as speeding and harsh braking, with accuracy rates as high as 84%. The findings emphasize the importance of using data-driven approaches to anticipate and mitigate risky behaviors, which are a leading cause of road crashes. This research reinforces the need for innovative tools to create safer driving environments and reduce accident risks. 

A paper titled Spatial analysis of telematics-based surrogate safety measures authored by Dimitrios Nikolaou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Armira Kontaxi, Athanasios Theofilatos and George Yannis  has been published in Journal of Safety Research. This study investigates the effects of traffic calming measures such as speed humps, chicanes, and roundabouts on road safety, air quality, and noise pollution. The findings reveal that implementing traffic calming strategies such as speed humps, chicanes, and roundabouts can reduce traffic crashes by more than 25%, with a remarkable 40% decrease in severe injuries involving vulnerable road users, including pedestrians and cyclists. These measures also encourage safer driving behaviors by lowering vehicle speeds, which significantly enhances safety in densely populated urban areas. 

An open-access book titled “Shared Mobility Revolution: Pioneering Autonomous Horizons” was recently published under the framework of the Horizon 2020 project SHOW (SHared automation Operating models for Worldwide adoption). This book reports on technologies and business models focusing on supporting the deployment of shared, connected, and electrified automation in urban transport. Chapters discuss practical issues concerning mobility data management, strategies to improve user acceptance and engagement, and reports on assessment and simulation techniques to test shared automated shuttles in various contexts. These discussions provide valuable insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers shaping user-centered, sustainable future automated mobility. NTUA actively contributed with the following chapter, co-authored by Maria Oikonomou, Marios Sekadakis, Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis:

• Integrated Traffic Simulation Developer Suite for Shared Automated Mobility

A paper titled “The HADRIAN novel human–machine interface prototype for automated driving: safety and impact assessment” authored by Marios Sekadakis, Marianthi Kallidoni, Christos Katrakazas, Sandra Trösterer, Cyril Marx, Peter Moertl and George Yannis has been published in European Transport Research Review. The study, assesses the impact of innovative Human–Machine Interface (HMI) prototypes on safety, driving performance, and driver perceptions, focusing on automated driving at SAE Levels 2 or 3. A tailored safety and impact assessment methodology, incorporating Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA), highlighted key features that contributed to improved safety and perceived effectiveness. These results suggest that HADRIAN HMI reached a remarkable 95% safety score, marking a substantial improvement over the baseline condition. 

The Mobility Unit of DG GROW of the European Commission has recently released a Report titled “Study on the need for harmonised rules to support the rise of micro mobility and increased road safety for personal mobility devices” prepared by Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) and FKA GmbH. This report emphasizes the importance of accurate and harmonized data to support evidence-based policymaking and the achievement of Vision Zero targets. The study concluded that enhancing data quality and consistency could reduce road fatalities by up to 50% in some areas, as better data allows for more targeted interventions. The study also highlights gaps in existing data systems, with a particular need for improved reporting on vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians and cyclists, who account for a significant proportion of road fatalities in urban areas. By addressing these challenges, the EU aims to foster a unified approach to road safety, leveraging innovative technologies and methodologies to ensure progress toward safer roads for all. 

A paper titled “Effectiveness of 30 km/h speed limit – A literature review” authored by George Yannis and Eva Michelaraki has been published in Journal of Safety Research. This study evaluates the impact of 30 km/h speed limits on road safety, emissions, fuel consumption, traffic flow, livability and public health. Results from 60 simulation studies and estimations demonstrated significant reductions of over 40% of road crash fatalities, alongside significant subsequent increase of active travelling (pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooters) and Public Transport passengers, as mobility conditions become more user friendly to the vulnerable road users. Such a high societal impact for such a small change in our habits. 

The European Union Road Federation (ERF) has released the updated Recommendations for Sign Inspection. These guidelines provide the road community with important updated information on practices and technical recommendations to reduce roadside injuries and fatalities. The publication aligns with the EU’s Vision Zero goals, emphasizing the importance of safe infrastructure in accident prevention and injury mitigation.  

The Horizon Europe research project IMPROVA has recently released the IMPROVA 1st 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. With a commitment to improving the quality of life for all road users, IMPROVA goes beyond simply saving lives by focusing on understanding, quantifying, and mitigating the impact of LTC. The project also advances injury mitigation strategies to support the achievement of Vision Zero, aligned with the European Commission’s Transport and Mobility sector goals.

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Powered Two-Wheelers Thematic Report which refers to the safety of moped riders and motorcyclists as vulnerable road users. This Thematic Report highlights the key risks associated to PTWs traffic, in terms of rider characteristics and behaviour, road infrastructure, traffic patterns and safety culture. Moreover, a series of specific countermeasures regarding safer road users, vehicles and roads are suggested in view of minimising both crash risk and severity.  

The TRB ACS10 Standing Committee organised with great success the Quarterly Meeting on Transport Safety Management Systems which was held online, on 25 September 2024. The primary focus of this meeting was the impact of the impact of the 30 km/h speed limit in urban areas.  NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:

•  Impact of a 30 km/h City-Wide Speed Limit

The Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility Association (CCAM) has released the Quarterly Newsletter which provides information on the latest CCAM news aiming to create a more user-centered and inclusive mobility system, increasing road safety while reducing congestion and environmental footprint. Established in 2021, the international not-for-profit organisation CCAM Association represents the private side of the CCAM Partnership, bringing together 230 innovation stakeholders involved in the connected, cooperative and automated mobility field. 

A paper titled “Cost benefit analyst of reducing speed limits in Athens to 30 Km/h” authored by Stella Roussou, Virginia Petraki, Katerina Deliali, Armira Kontaxi and George Yannis has been published in Case Studies on Transport Policy. The study highlights the benefits of lowering speed limits in Athens from 50 km/h to 30 km/h, including a 30-40% reduction in traffic crashes and a 20-25% decrease in injury severity . Additionally, the policy could lead to lower by 10-15% CO2 emissions and improve conditions for pedestrians and cyclists. The overall benefits are projected to outweigh the costs by 3 to 5 times, making it a highly effective policy for safer, more sustainable urban mobility. 

The Horizon Europe research project metaCCAZE has recently released the metaCCAZE 1st Newsletter, which provides information on the latest outcomes of the EU-funded metaCCAZE project aiming to accelerate the deployment of smart systems that combine electric, automated and connected technologies and infrastructure, enabling zero-emission shared mobility services for both passengers and goods in European cities. The potential of zero emission shared mobility solutions in real and diverse urban environments were tested in four Trailblazer Cities (i.e. Amsterdam, Munich, Limassol, Tampere). 

The Young and aging drivers Thematic Report of the European Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by TIRF, with the support of NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report describes  the self-declared behaviours and perceived acceptability (social and personal) related to driving while impaired, speeding, and distraction, among young and aging drivers. Key findings show that aging drivers (65-74) are less likely than younger drivers to engage in risky behaviours like impaired driving, speeding, or distracted driving, such as using a hand-held phone or reading messages.  

The Speeding Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published with the active contribution of BASt and NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report describes the self-declared behaviour, acceptability, attitudes and support for policy measures regarding speeding. Key results on self-reported speeding behaviors show that car drivers least frequently admitted to driving too fast for road/traffic conditions (27.8%-31.0%), followed by exceeding speed limits in built-up areas (37.1%-47.3%), with males, younger drivers (in Europe), and certain regional variations (e.g., America8) displaying higher frequencies of speeding across road types.  

The Infrastructure Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published with the active contribution of NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report describes the use and the safety perception of infrastructure among different road users, including car drivers, moped riders and motorcyclists, cyclists and pedestrians. The results revealed that car drivers in Europe have the highest usage of inter-city motorways, while America leads in using thoroughfares and high-speed roads within cities. Moreover, strong linear relationships were discovered between the perceived safety of road infrastructure and road fatality rates.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of  NTUA,  SWOV and KFV has launched a Vulnerable Road Users promotion activity focusing on children, cyclists, pedestrians and Powered Two-Wheelers (mopeds and motorcycles). According to the new Reports from the European Road Safety Observatory, the high vulnerability of non-motorised road users in urban areas is highlighted, with a disproportionately high number of fatalities in these areas for children (46% of total fatalities) and pedestrians (73%), compared to the average for all road users (38%). Recommendations to reduce fatalities among vulnerable users, including infrastructure improvements, protective equipment and vehicle design are also provided.     

Eva Michelaraki has successfully defended her PhD dissertation titled: Improving driver safety tolerance zone through holistic analysis of road, vehicle and behavioural risk factors, under the supervision of NTUA Prof. George Yannis. Data from 190 drivers who participated in a large on-road and simulator driving experiment were exploited. An innovative methodology, consisting of both statistical analyses (Generalized Linear Models, Structural Equation Models) and machine learning techniques (Decision Trees, k-Nearest Neighbors, Neural Networks and Random Forests) was implemented. Results indicated that RF models outperformed the DT and kNN models across all metrics, making them the most effective for predicting speeding and headway, with overall accuracy up to 90%. It was also revealed that task complexity was positively correlated with risk, while coping capacity was negatively correlated with risk, indicating that drivers with higher coping capacity are better equipped to handle challenging driving situations.  

The European Commission is making available within the European Road Safety Observatory, the Road Safety Atlas application, exploiting data from the CARE database, the EU database with disaggregate data. It is an application openly available with several detailed thematic maps on road fatalities and extended backround data available, including statistics per country and comparisons between countries. It provides a user-friendly interface to discover up to date road safety indicators for European countries.   

In a recently published study conducted at Stanford University (USA), using a range of parameters for each scientist’s research contribution and influence, million scientists data from Scopus database were analysed. According to this study 1,019 Greek scientists are contained in the global top 2%, among which 159 researchers from the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA). 25 Professors from the School of Civil Engineering of NTUA are among the top 2% researchers in the world (4 within the top-ten of NTUA), while 7 of them from the Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering, (5 within the top-ten of the School of Civil Engineering). 

A paper titled “Detection of dangerous driving behaviour with wide-scale data from smart systems and machine learning techniques” authored by Hector Kamvoussioras, Thodoris Garefalakis, Eva Michelaraki, Christos Katrakazas and George Yannis has been published in Advances in Transportation Studies. Specifically, four classification models: Ridge Classifier (RC), Support Vector Machines (SVM), Random Forests (RF), and eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) – were developed. These models were utilized to categorize driving behaviour into three defined levels of “Safety Tolerance Zone (STZ)”. The results revealed that the RF and XGBoost models achieved high accuracy, reaching 95% in prediction accuracy. By identifying the factors that influence risky driving behaviour, this framework offers valuable insights for guiding safety interventions , ultimately contributing to enhanced road safety. 

A paper titled “Modeling and Sustainability Implications of Harsh Driving Events: A Predictive Machine Learning Approach” authored by Antonis Kostopoulos, Thodoris Garefalakis, Eva Michelaraki, Christos Katrakazas and George Yannis has been published in Sustainability. This study addresses the complex task of predicting dangerous driving behaviors through a comprehensive analysis of over 356,000 trips, enhancing existing knowledge in the field and promoting sustainability and road safety. Findings indicate that Gradient Boosting and Multilayer Perceptron excel, achieving recall rates of approximately 67% to 68% for both harsh acceleration and braking events. The application of machine learning algorithms, feature selection, and k-means clustering offers a promising approach for improving road safety and reducing socio-economic costs through sustainable practices. 

A paper titled “Analysis of harsh braking and harsh acceleration occurrence via explainable imbalanced machine learning using high-resolution smartphone telematics and traffic data” authored by Apostolos Ziakopoulos has been published in Accident Analysis & Prevention. Subsequently, Synthetic Minority Oversampling TEchnique (SMOTE) was applied due to class imbalance and then binary classification was conducted to detect factors leading to harsh brakes (HB) and harsh accelerations (HA) occurrence.  Results reveal strong nonlinear effects on harsh event occurrence, with individual speed and traffic flow parameters showing the highest influence, followed by exposure parameters such as segment length and pass count. However, network characteristics such as number of lanes, and speed limit had limited influence on harsh events occurrence, as did behaviors such as mobile phone engagement and speeding. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently published the 2023 Status Report on Road Safety for the Africa Region. According to this Report, road traffic death rates during the period 2010-2021 have increased significantly in the African region, with 17% increase in road-related fatalities, despite being home to only 15% of the world’s population, and 3% of its vehicles. Conversely, global rates fell by 5% during the same period. WHO recommends concerted efforts to implement a range of interventions, in order to strengthen national road safety strategies in Africa.  

The Moped Riders & Motorcyclists Thematic Report of the E-Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published with the active contribution of NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report describes the frequency of riding a moped or a motorcycle, the use of infrastructure, the road crash involvement, the acceptability of unsafe traffic behaviour, the safety perception of using moped and motorcycle, the rates of self-declared behaviour and factors associated with risky riding behaviours. Self-declared risky behaviors among moped riders and motorcyclists are influenced by gender, age, beliefs, and living conditions, with females, older individuals, urban residents, and those supporting stricter regulations reporting lower likelihoods of drink-riding, speeding, helmetless riding, distracted riding, drug-related riding, or riding too fast, while those who find these behaviors acceptable are significantly more likely to engage in them, often by magnitudes ranging from 6 to 19 times.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Traffic Law Enforcement (TLE) Thematic Report which can be defined as the entire penal procedure designed to persuade road users to obey traffic laws and regulations through threat of detection of violation and the imposition of a penalty. This Thematic Report describes the working mechanisms of TLE in Europe, as well as how effective are for road safety the enforcement of speeding, red light running, drug-impaired driving, drink-driving, mobile phone use and seat belt use. Moreover, enforcement support measures such as legislation, sanction types, data-driven enforcement operations and public communication are suggested.  

The E-Scooter Riders Thematic Report of the European Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published with the active contribution of TIRF and NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report provides an in-depth examination of road safety issues associated with e-scooter, including an extensive analysis of self-declared unsafe behaviours in traffic, the utilization frequency of e-scooters, and the incidence of involvement in road crashes among e-scooter riders. Moreover, the Report investigates determinants that may elevate the risk of crash involvement for e-scooter riders, offering a detailed perspective on the complexities of e-scooter road safety. Unsafe self-declared behaviors among e-scooter riders are influenced by demographics, attitudes, and experiences, with women and older individuals less likely to engage in risky actions like riding under the influence or crossing on red lights, while students, those with permissive attitudes toward traffic laws, and individuals involved in e-scooter crashes are more likely to exhibit unsafe behaviors.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Pedestrians Thematic Report which refers to the safety of vulnerable road users that suffer the most severe consequences in collisions with other road users. This Thematic Report describes how pedestrians participate in traffic, as well as pedestrians in relation to road safety hazards. Furthermore, countermeasures about land use planning, road design, visibility, vehicle design of crash opponents, education, training and enforcement are suggested.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Urban Areas Facts and Figures Report which refers to public roads inside urban boundary signs. According to this Report, the number of fatalities on urban roads decreased by 22%, which is similar to the 21% decrease on other roads (rural roads and motorways). Furthermore, vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, motorcycles) make up 68% of fatalities on urban roads, while pedestrians are involved in 33% of all fatalities.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Rural Areas Facts and Figures Report which refers to public roads outside urban boundary signs, excluding motorways. In 2022, 53% of all road fatalities in the EU27 occurred on rural roads. Between 2012 and 2022, the number of fatalities on rural roads decreased by 24%, compared to 18% decrease on urban roads and motorways. Remarkable is that car occupants make up more than half (56%) of all fatalities on rural roads.  

The Subjective Safety & Risk Perception Thematic Report of the European Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by KFV, with the support of NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report describes the perceived levels of safety when using different transport modes and the assessment of various risk factors in traffic (e.g. alcohol, speed, fatigue) regarding their contribution to crashes. Perceived causes of crashes vary by region, with driving after drinking alcohol deemed riskiest in Europe and America, while speeding is considered riskiest in Asia-Oceania; women and older respondents (in Europe and America) generally perceive driving risks higher, with hand-held phone use seen as particularly risky, whereas hands-free phone use is viewed as least risky across all regions.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Junctions Facts and Figures Report which refers to road fatalities at junctions, which are locations where two or more roads meet and traffic can change between different routes, directions, or sometimes modes of travel. According to this report, 18% of all road fatalities in the EU27 occurred at junctions and road fatalities at junctions in the EU have decreased by 10% since 2019. Moreover, 57% of junction fatalities in the EU27 occur on urban roads. Remarkable is that vulnerable road users are being involved in more than half of all fatalities at junctions (63%).  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory the Car Occupants Facts and Figures Report which refers to car drivers as well as car passengers (front or rear seat). According to this report, the total number of car occupant fatalities in the EU27 has decreased by 9% since 2019 and 45% of all road fatalities in the EU27 in 2022 were car occupants. Furthermore, 82% of fatally injured car drivers are men, with the highest rates in single vehicle crashes being recorded for the age group 20 to 24 years old. Remarkable is that two thirds of car occupant fatalities in the EU occurred on rural roads.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Main Figures Facts and Figures Report which examines road fatalities on European roads. According to this Report, there has been a 9% decrease in road fatalities for the EU27 between 2019 and 2022, with far more males than females being killed in road crashes. Moreover, 47% of total road fatalities are vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, moped riders and motorcyclists) and over a half of road fatalities occur on rural roads (53%). On urban roads, the share of killed pedestrians is highest with 33%.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Light Goods Vehicles (LGVs) Facts and Figures Report which refers to lorries under 3.5 tonnes. The development of the number of fatalities in LGV crashes throughout the years varies across European countries, with Northern and Central European countries having a lower share of fatalities in LGV crashes in the total number of road fatalities than countries in Southern and Southeastern Europe. Furthermore, LGV crash fatalities display a different distribution during the week compared to all road crash fatalities, but show some similarities compared to HGV crash fatalities.  

The Distraction & Fatigue Thematic Report of the European Survey of Road Users’ Safety Attitudes (ESRA) has been published, as prepared by the Portuguese Road Safety Association, with the support of NTUA, containing a wealth of information on road safety in 39 countries across Europe, America and Asia-Oceania, based on the ESRA3 survey. This Thematic ESRA3 Report concerns distraction and fatigue in traffic. Self-declared mobile phone use while driving is prevalent across regions, with hands-free phone use being most common (51.0% in Europe22, 47.6% in America8, 44.3% in AsiaOceania6), while hand-held phone use and reading messages are less frequent but more common among men, younger drivers, and those with permissive attitudes; most road users view such behaviors as risky and unacceptable, with hands-free phone use seen as less risky, and enforcement perceptions and self-reported usage correlating with higher smartphone and internet use, indicating a gradual shift from hand-held to hands-free systems.  

A paper titled “Unfolding the dynamics of driving behavior: a machine learning analysis from Germany and Belgium” authored by Stella Roussou, Eva Michelaraki, Christos Katrakazas, Amir Pooyan Afghari, Christelle Al Haddad, Md Rakibul Alam, Constantinos Antoniou, Eleonora Papadimitriou, Tom Brijs and George Yannis  has been published in European Transport Research Review. Thirty German drivers’ trips and Forty-Three Belgian drivers were analyzed using Long-Short-Term-Memory Networks and shallow Neural Networks, revealing factors contributing to risky behavior. Results indicate i-DREAMS interventions significantly enhance driving behavior, with Neural Networks displaying superior performance among the algorithms considered. 

A paper titled “Safety evaluation via conflict classification during automated shuttle bus service operations” authored by Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Maria Oikonomou, Marios Sekadakis and George Yannis  has been published in European Transport Research Review. To investigate impacts of autonomous shuttle bus services and to further examine their operational speed, the microscopic simulation method was performed.  By analyzing the trajectory data extracted from microsimulation, traffic conflicts were identified and further analyzed by developing Mixed-Effects Multinomial Logit Regression models (ME-MLMs) in order to associate conflict type taking into account network characteristics as well as traffic conditions. The analysis yielded several significant findings that provide quantitative measurements and assessments of the effects observed, enabling a better understanding of the safety implications associated with the widespread adoption of automated services. 

The European Court of Auditors has published a special Report titled ‘Reaching EU Road Safety Objectives – Time to move up a gear’, which provides an in-depth examination of the current state of play and trends in road safety in the EU. The text highlights the importance of investing on high-quality, resilient, and sustainable road infrastructure, and the related road safety planning obligations, as well as of interconnectivity and interoperability of data related to traffic to improve road safety management.  

Eurostat has recently released a progress Report titled ‘Sustainable development in the European Union – monitoring report on progress towards the SDGs in an EU context – 2024 edition’. This publication provides readers with a statistical overview of the EU’s progress towards its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Based on the assessment of the past five years of available data, the EU made progress towards most of the SDGs, while it fell slightly behind in a few goals. Specifically for road safety, the EU road safety policy framework 2021–2030 and Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy aim to reduce deaths and serious injuries on the road by 50% by 2030.  

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has recently published a Synthesis Report titled “Speed Limits” which focuses on the interventions regarding effective speed management. More precisely, new principles about setting speed limits are emerging, based on an assessment of the combined risk relating to the infrastructure, travel speeds, volume and mix of traffic by type (including vulnerable road users). Furthermore, signs are the primary way of communicating the speed limit of a road to drivers, with principles of effective speed limits signing been uniformity, consistency, simplicity, relevance and legibility. 

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has recently published a Synthesis Report titled “Speed” which focuses on the relationship between speed and risk. Precisely, as average traffic speed reduces, so does the likelihood of a crash resulting in injury that is recorded by the police. Furthermore, effective speed management policies are likely to include an integrated package of measures, including credible speed limits, enforcement, education and engineering. RoSPA is a leading voice in health and safety that has campaigns to reduce avoidable crashes on the road. 

Using the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) methodology, road safety infrastructure changes and safer speeds within more than 1,000 infrastructure projects have prevented almost 700,000 deaths and serious injuries in 74 countries since 2016, according to a new paper with Johns Hopkins University published in PLOS One. This study is the first to measure the impact of road projects financed by governments, development banks and private-sector road operators around the world using the iRAP methodology and tools. 

BBC World News published an article about a revolutionary idea that changed the way Europe regarded road collisions. Claes Tingvall, as the head of Road Safety for the Swedish Road Adminstration in 1995, tried to balance road safety with other factors, including cost, driver preferences and the impact on the economy of changing traffic flows. Tingvall found that crash victims were not, as many in the road transport sector, assumed – drunk and irresponsible drivers but for the most part, they were people who made small mistakes. He introduced the Vision Zero fatalities as ultimum target and the Safe System approach as the way to share the responsibility also to the Authorities and all those involved in the design and the operation of the road and traffic system to be preventive and forgiving to human errors, eliminating the crash and injury risk. 

The Forum of European Road Safety Research Institutes (FERSI) published a paper titled “Secondary roads – Road Safety challenges“, which demonstrates the important contribution of secondary rural roads to the burden of road traffic injuries and fatalities. Furthermore, it identifies the most important road safety challenges and emphasizes the corresponding need for addressing these by introducing appropriate remedial road infrastructure measures and new technologies, supported by consistent research and innovation.   

NTUA conducted a research titled “The Impact of Ridesharing Services in Athens” to investigate ridesharing socio-economic impact in Athens. The research concludes that the introduction of ridesharing in Athens has a significant positive impact to social welfare of the city improving environment quality, traffic conditions, road safety and economic growth, mainly due to the travel demand swift from private cars to ridesharing services. The emergence of ridesharing service in Greek islands is also discussed.    

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Young People Facts and Figures Report which examines the number of fatalities among persons aged 15 to 24 years old. The absolute number of fatalities among young people aged 15-17 decreased by 39% between 2012 and 2022, while the respective number of fatalities among young people aged 18-24 decreased by 38% during the same period. Furthermore, remarkable is that the mortality rate for the age group 15-17 was the second lowest among all age groups in 2022.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Seniors Safety Facts and Figures Report which refers to people aged 65 years and older. According to this report, seniors have the second highest mortality rate among all age groups, with an average of about 64 senior fatalities per million senior inhabitants in road traffic within the EU27. Moreover, when considering the mode of transportation, seniors experienced a considerably high number of fatalities in the most vulnerable modes. Specifically, in 2022 29% of senior fatalities were pedestrians, while 17% were cyclists.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Motorways Facts and Figures Report which refers to  motorways, which are public roads with dual carriageways, and at least two lanes each way. In 2022, 9% of all road fatalities in the EU27 occurred on motorways. Remarkable is that 68% of motorway fatalities were between 25 and 64 years old, compared to 54% on other roads (rural and urban roads).  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Buses & Heavy Goods Vehicles Facts and Figures Report which refers to fatalities of buses/coaches and heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) on European roads. In 2022, 14% of all road fatalities in the EU27 occurred in crashes involving HGVs and 2% of road fatalities in the EU27 occurred in crashes involving buses/coaches. Moreover, remarkable is that female share in fatalities in crashes involving buses/coaches (32%) is remarkably higher than the respective share in crashes involving HGVs and all crashes (23%).  

The Fondation VINCI Autoroutes has recently published the results of the 12^th Euro-Barometer for Responsible Driving by Ipsos, in which representative attitudes of Europeans at the wheel are recorded, enabling also the monitoring of the evolution of risky driving and good practices to better target prevention messages in European countries. According to this study, Greece has the highest rate of drivers (83%) that use their mobile phone during driving in Europe (EU average 75%). Furthermore, almost half  of Greek drivers (46%) admitted continuing driving even when they feel tired, whereas the respective EU average is 42%.   

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Support for Policy Measures Report which focuses on the public support of many road safety policy measures, including zero tolerance for alcohol (0.0‰) for all drivers, installation of an alcohol ‘interlock’ system and the legal obligation to install ISA in new vehicles. Furthermore, the public support of the zero tolerance for using any type of mobile phone while driving for all drivers, the requirement for all cyclists to wear a helmet, as well as the requirement for cyclists to wear reflective material when cycling in the dark, are presented.   

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Protective Equipment Safety Performance Indicator (SPI) Report which focuses on the prevalence and the road safety effects of road users’ use or non-use of bicycle helmets, motorcycle helmets, seat belts and Child Restraint Systems (CRS). Moreover, where feasible, these reports look at whether SPIs are related to existing policies and regulations, providing possible effective interventions to increase safe behaviour, or discourage unsafe behaviour.  

The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Main Factors causing Fatal Crashes Thematic Report, in which the role of key risk factors is quantified and discussed, based on the most recent international literature. These factors concern speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol, distraction and other psychoactive substances, and non-use of protective equipment. Addressing in priority the above causes of fatalities in Europe, through safe-by-design thinking, i.e. prevention, control and mitigation of the consequences of these errors, can contribute significantly towards the ambitious EU targets of halving fatalities by 2030 and eliminating them by 2050.  

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 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 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 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.