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Eva Michelaraki PhD – Improving Driver Safety Tolerance Zone, October 2024 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.

Latest Developments

European Commission Expert Group Recommendations for the mid-term review of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2030, July 2024 The Expert Group on Urban Mobility (EGUM)  of the European Commission has recently delivered a set of Recommendations for the Commission’s mid-term review of the EU Road Safety Policy Framework 2021-2030. Special focus is given on active mobility and road safety for Vulnerable Road Users, for which key risk factors and a set of Recommendations for people who walk, cycle and use light electric vehicles, micromobility devices and powered two-wheelers, are being provided.

European Commission – Cyclists Thematic Report, February 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.

UNECE – Adaptation of Cycling Network Guidelines, October 2024 UNECE has introduced new Guidelines and Recommendations aimed at enhancing cycling networks and promoting cycling as a sustainable and safe mode of transportation. These Guidelines emphasize the need for well-connected cycling infrastructure and the integration of cycling into national transport systems. By prioritizing safer cycling routes, the Guidelines aim to achieve safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly urban and rural mobility. This initiative is expected to play a key role in shaping future transport policies across Europe.

iRAP – New Enhanced Tool for Safer Road Design, October 2024 The International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) announced at the IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, the enhancement of the Star Rating for Designs (SR4D), a Tool that allows the safety of road designs to be measured before the commencement of civil works. Using the Tool, road engineers and designers can define a road’s geometry and code its features to obtain a globally recognised iRAP safety Star Rating, along with fatal and serious injury estimations, and safety investment plans to optimise safety.

Statistics Corner

European Commission – Road Safety Atlas Application, 2024 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.

ESRA3 – E-Scooter Riders Thematic Report, July 2024 The E-Scooter Riders Thematic Report of the European 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 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.

Our Publications

IRF – International Road Federation World Congress, Istanbul, October 2024 The International Road Federation (IRF) in cooperation with the Turkish Road Association organized with great success the IRF World Congress 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey, on 15-18 October 2024. This conference with theme "Connecting to Empower Mobility: Roads as Enablers of a Sustainable Future for All" served as a platform for global leaders, industry experts, academia, and diverse public and private stakeholders to engage in insightful discussions and collaborative efforts, addressing pivotal issues and exploring innovations within the road and mobility sectors.    Click here for the 7 NTUA presentations...

36th ICTCT Conference, The Hague, Netherlands, October 2024 The International Cooperation on Theories and Concepts in Traffic safety (ICTCT) together with the Traffic and Transportation Safety Lab of Delft University of Technology organized with great success the 36th Conference which was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on 17-18 October 2024. This conference with theme “Inclusive and interdisciplinary road safety research” served as a platform for global leaders, industry experts, academia and diverse public and private stakeholders to engage in insightful discussions and collaborative efforts. Particular emphasis was given to vulnerable road users, micromobility, road infrastructure design, innovative research methodologies and inclusive road safety policies.   NTUA actively contributed with 2 presentations:   Using KPIs to assess speeding   Selecting KPIs on enforcement of traffic regulations

ETSC PIN Talk – Improving the safety of vulnerable road users, Ljubljana, September 2024 The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) in cooperation with the Slovenian Traffic Safety Agency organised with great success  the PIN Talk “Improving the safety of vulnerable road users”, which was held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 19 September 2024. This event focused on improving the safety of vulnerable road users.   NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:   Review of 30 km/h speed limit benefits in Europe

ASIT – Traffic Moderation Conference, online, October 2024 The Transportation Infrastructure Scientific Association of Italy (ASIT) in cooperation with the Order of Engineers of the Province of Naples organized with great success the Traffic Moderation Conference, which was held online, on 9 October 2024. This conference aims to provide an overview of the results of the most recent national and European experiences related to the implementation of the speed limit of 30km/h in urban areas and traffic moderation.   NTUA Professor George Yannis actively contributed with the following key-note presentation:  Review of City-Wide 30 km/h Speed Limit Benefits in Europe

Cost Benefit Analysis of Reducing Speed Limits in Athens to 30 Km/h, October 2024 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.

Impact factors of Greek drivers self-reported traffic violations, July 2024 A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Impact factors of Greek drivers self-reported traffic violations” was recently presented by Alexandros Kitsios. To fulfill this objective, six Binary Logistic Regression models and a Structural Equation Model (SEM) were developed using data from the second edition of the E-Survey of Road users’ Attitudes (ESRA). The covariance between the dependent variables of driving with alcohol consumption above the legal limit, driving on a highway, but also inside and outside a residential area at a speed above the legal limit, and using a mobile phone without a headset and to access social networks while driving, is positive and statistically significant revealing that drivers who engage, more frequently, in one of these risky behaviors are more likely to also engage in any of the others in combination.

PHOEBE – 3rd Newsletter, July 2024 The Horizon 2020 research project PHOEBE has recently released the PHOEBE 3rd Newsletter, which provides information on the latest outcomes of the EU-funded ‘Predictive Approaches for Safer Urban Environment’ (PHOEBE) project aiming to increase the road safety of vulnerable road users, especially those who use active mobility and e-scooters. Special focus is given to the assessment of current mobility pilot plans in Athens, carried out by NTUA.

Upcoming Events

POLIS – Polis Annual Conference, Karlsruhe, November 2024 POLIS, the European Cities Network, is organising the 2024 Annual Polis Conference, which will take place in Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, on 27-28 November 2024. The POLIS Annual Conference is Europe’s leading sustainable urban mobility event, providing an opportunity for cities and regions to showcase their transport achievements, including recent safety developments, to a large audience of mobility experts, practitioners, and decision-makers from both the public and private sector. Urban Road Safety is a key conference priority. Participants can register here.

WHO – 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, Marrakech, February 2025 The World Health Organisation (WHO) in cooperation with the Ministry of Transports and Logistics of Morocco are organising the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety which will be held at Marrakech, Morocco, on 18-20 February 2025. This conference with theme "Committed to Life", will bring leaders and experts together to assess the progress made in implementing the Global Plan 2021-2030 during its initial five-year period and to generate support for the new vision of safe and sustainable mobility. Registration until 10 February 2025.