ΝΕΑ από NRSO Road Safety

 

NTUA – Artificial Intelligence for Road Safety and Mobility Workshop, Athens, May 2025 NTUA within the framework of the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week organized with great success a Scientific Workshop titled  “Artificial Intelligence for Road Safety and Mobility” which was held in Athens (and online) on May 15th, 2025. The objective of this Workshop was to highlight through an intensive flow of presentations the main findings and challenges of key road safety and mobility research projects carried out within the NTUA Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering.    Click here for the 34 NTUA presentations...

Latest Developments

PIARC – Road Safety Manual, May 2025 The fourth edition of Road Safety Manual (RSM) developed by the World Road Association (PIARC) is now available. It is designed to help countries at every stage of infrastructure development to fulfil road safety objectives and it is aligned with key pillars for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030: Pillar 1: Multimodal transport and land use planning, Pillar 2: Safe Road Infrastrucure and Pillar 4: Safe Road Use. This comprehensive resource builds on the broad range of knowledge and experience provided by PIARC in the previous editions. It includes new thinking on road safety and offers a clear argument on why adopting a Safe System approach is crucial for all countries.

European Commission – Pedestrians Thematic Report, July 2024 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.

European Road Safety Charter – Safety equipment uptake across Europe, March 2025 The European Road Safety Charter of the European Commission, has recently published a new Article focusing on helmet use and seatbelt/child restraint systems, aiming to increase the attention to theis use. Studies suggest 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.

NTUA – Guide for Safe Driving, April 2025 The National Technical University of Athens has recently released a Guide for Safe Driving providing practical advice for drivers and riders in order to prevent key crash causes: speeding, seat-belt, helmet, mobile phone use, drink-and-drive, fatigue and adverse weather conditions. This Guide suggests summary knowledge on these key crash risk factors together with highly useful recommendations in order to promote safe driving behaviour and develop a continuously improving road safety culture.

Statistics Corner

European Commission – Support for Policy Measures Report, May 2024 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.

ESRA3 – Driving under the influence of alcohol Thematic Report, December 2024 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 active support of NTUA. This 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​.

Our Publications

WHO/VIAS – ESRA3 Webinar, May 2025 WHO Regional Office for Europe together with Vias institute organized with great success the 3rd E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes (ESRA3) Webinar which took place online, on 7 May 2025 focusing on supporting road safety insights, policies and practices. The Webinar focused on the key insights of the ESRA initiative, speeding behaviour and support for 30km/h zones. Particular emphasis was also given to gender specific risk and policies in road safety, age and impaired driving.  NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation: Self-reported speeding and the support for 30km/h zones

HIT/YOT – Data Quality and NAP Best Practices Workshop, Athens, May 2025 The Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT) οf the Centre for Research and Technology (CERTH/EKETA) together with the Road Tolls Service - Electronic Management of Road Infrastructure (YOT-HDOY) organized with great success a two-day workshop titled “Data Quality and NAP Best Practices” in the framework of the European Commission NAPCORE project, which took place with great success in Athens, Greece on 5-6 May 2025. The aim of this Event was to bring together the project participants to discuss the current status, the future prospects and the progress of National Data Access Points in the EU.  NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation: Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and the Future of Road Safety

George Yannis Podcast – 30km/h speed limit in all Greek cities, May 2025 At a recent podcast in Lifo, NTUA Professor George Yannis is decoding the new Greek Road Code proposal for 30km/h speed limit in all cities in Greece, the great opportunity for a new safe and sustainable mobility culture. Drawing from extensive European data and simulation studies, he pointed out that city-wide 30km/h speed limit is the since-long waited single road safety measure with such a significant benefit at such a low cost. The myth that lower speed limits significantly delay travel times was refuted by evidence showing only negligible differences and even mid-term traffic improvement. The innovative and impactful NTUA campaign of 30 Marathons in 30 months, implemented by Prof. Yannis, to actively promote the adoption of 30km/h speed limit in all cities worldwide was also highlighted. Full article and related audio-podcast are now available.

Investigation of hit-and-run crash severity through explainable machine learning, April 2025 A paper titled Investigation of hit-and-run crash severity through explainable machine learning authored by Stella Roussou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis, has been published in Transportation Letters. This study, uses a 5-year dataset from Victoria, Australia and analyzed with CatBoost algorithms and SHAP values using explainable machine learning techniques, to highlight key severity factors. Findings suggest that the presence of police at the crash scene emerges as the most critical determinant, underscoring the importance of law enforcement in mitigating severe crash outcomes. Furthermore crashes involving passenger vehicles and those on weekends were also linked to higher severity. These novel findings offer valuable insights for targeted interventions and policy-making to mitigate the impact of severe hit-and-run crashes and enhance road safety.

Cost-benefit analysis of reducing speed limits on Greek highways, March 2025 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.

Upcoming Events

SWOV – Trendline 2025 Conference, The Hague, June 2025 The Dutch Institute for Road Safety (SWOV) is organizing the Trendline 2025 Conference which will take place in The Hague, Netherlands on 10-11 June 2025, a key event for professionals working with road safety data, policy, and innovation. This Conference will present the results of the initial road safety KPIs, compare these with the Baseline values, discuss the methodologies for the new KPIs, and show how KPIs can be used to support road safety policies. This Event is expected to bring together partners from across Europe and the participants will be updated on the next phase of Trendline.   Participation is free upon registration. Programme can be found here.

ESRA – 10 Years Event of Global Road Safety Insights and Impact, Brussels, June 2025 The European Survey of Road users’ safety Attitudes (ESRA) together with VIAS Institute are organizing the ESRA: 10 years event of global road safety insights and impact which will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 24 June 2025. This event is a unique opportunity to reflect on the evolution of the ESRA initiative and its impact on road safety policy. Key findings from 10 years of research will be presented, unveiling a dedicated report and the new ESRA dashboard, and will be explored how these insights can drive future improvements in road safety. Furthermore, ESRA4 will be introduced, the next phase in the mission to create safer roads through data-driven strategies.

ETSC – 19th Annual Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Report, June 2025 The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) is organizing the 2025 ETSC Road Safety Performance Index event which will take place in Brussels, Belgium on 24 June 2025. ETSC will present the findings of the PIN Annual Report looking at progress in reducing road deaths and serious injuries across Europe. Furthermore, a panel discussion will look at how reducing speed could help us reach the 2030 target of reducing road deaths and serious injuries by 50%. The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) is also expected to present its 2025 Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Award to a country for its progress in improving road safety.

Transport Research Arena (TRA), Budapest, May 2026 The European Commission and the Hungarian Public Roads together with the European Transport Research Platforms ACARE, ALICE, CEDR, ECTP, ERRAC, ERTRAC, ETRA and Waterborne are organizing the Transport Research Arena Conference (TRA2026) which will take place in Budapest, Hungary on 18-21 May 2026. The conference aims to advance sustainable, inclusive, and innovative transportation solutions under the theme "ReGeneration in Transport". Researchers can submit their abstracts until 15 June 2025.