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Armira Kontaxi PhD – The Driver Behavior Telematics Feedback Mechanism, February 2025

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

Latest Developments

European Commission – Updated rules for safer roads, less air pollution and digital vehicle documents, April 2025 The Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) of the European Commission announced updated rules for safer roads, less air pollution and digital vehicle documents. The new rules will take into account the growing presence of electric vehicles and adapt to emerging technologies. They will introduce enhanced inspections, including periodic technical inspections for electric vehicles and advanced driver-assistance systems, annual inspections for older cars and vans, and advanced emission testing methods to detect high-emitting vehicles to reduce fine particles pollution. The proposed changes reflect the EU’s commitment to safe and sustainable mobility while ensuring the free movement of people and goods. Between 2026 and 2050, it is estimated that these proposals will save around 7,000 lives and prevent around 65,000 serious injuries.

European Commission – Promoting Safe Mobility: Vulnerable Road Users, December 2024 The European Commission with the active contribution of  NTUA,  SWOV and KFV  launched a safe mobility promotion activity focusing on vulnerable road users, providing in-depth analysis of road safety for cyclists, pedestrians, powered two-wheelers, and users of personal mobility devices. According to the new Reports from the European Road Safety Observatory, one key finding shows that infrastructure improvements, such as segregated bike lanes, significantly reduce the risk of serious accidents for cyclists. As for pedestrians, older individuals are disproportionately represented in fatality statistics. Powered Two-Wheelers face a significantly higher risk of dying on European roads compared to other motor vehicle users. The PMD report reveals a sharp rise in incidents involving e-scooters, particularly in cities and highlights the need to address aspects relating to the vehicle, infrastructure and rider behaviour to address this emerging challenge.

ACEM/FIM – Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat Campaign, April 2025 The European Association of Motorcycle Manufacturers (ACEM) together with the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) have launched “Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat”, a European-wide Campaign designed to encourage novice and experienced riders to take high-quality voluntary motorcycle training. This Campaign aims to inspire European riders to take the next step in their journey by enrolling in certified training programmes, ensuring more riders have access to advanced tools and knowledge to enjoy motorcycling safely and responsibly. The Campaign builds on the success of the European Motorcycle Training Quality Label - voluntary certification of high-quality post-license training courses across Europe. As motorcycling continues to serve as a key mobility and leisure tool for millions across Europe, improving rider safety remains a top priority.

Statistics Corner

European Commission – Traffic fatalities collision matrix in the EU, February 2025 The European Commission published collision matrices of fatalities in the EU by road user and area type (urban, rural, total). The available EU-wide data for 2023 contained in the CARE database, demonstrate that 38% of road traffic fatalities occurred in urban areas, with vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, users of powered two-wheelers and personal mobility devices) representing almost 70% of total fatalities. Furthermore 52% of road traffic fatalities occurred in rural areas, with vulnerable road users (pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooters and users of powered two-wheelers) representing almost 36% of total fatalities. These collision matrices provide highly useful insight on road crash causes, exploited for appropriate EU policies and actions.

ESRA3 – Infrastructure Thematic Report, October 2024 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.

Our Publications

ETSC – Main Council Meeting, Krakow, April 2025 The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) organized with great success its bi-annual Main Council Meeting which was held in Krakow, Poland on April 3-4, 2025, where all the latest road safety developments and policies in Europe were discussed. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:  City-wide 30km/h Speed Limit at the New Road Code of Greece & the NTUA Marathons Campaign

CSR Hellas – Health and Safety Atelier, Athens, April 2025 Corporate Sustainability & Responsibility (CSR) Hellas organized with great success the CSR-Atelier#6 which took place in Athens, Greece on 3 April 2025 under the theme "Health and Safety". This Event included presentations focusing on concepts, techniques and tools for workplace risk identification and assessment, as well as a discussion on road safety in supply chains.   NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation: Operational Fleet Road Safety Management

IRTAD 39th Meeting, London, April 2025 The International Road Traffic Safety Analysis and Data (IRTAD) Group and the International Transport Forum (ITF) organized with great success the 39th Meeting which took place in London, UK, on 9-10 April 2025. In this meeting, the latest international road safety developments were discussed. Members and observers from many countries enriched the discussion aimed to improve road safety across the globe. Particular emphasis was given to road safety data collection and analysis.  NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:  Smart Maps supporting safe driving behavior using multi-source large-scale data

Predicting risky driving behavior with classification algorithms: results from a large-scale field-trial and simulator experiment, November 2024 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.

Understanding the effects of underreporting on injury severity estimation of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes: A hybrid approach incorporating majority class oversampling and random parameters with heterogeneity-in-means, March 2025 A paper titled Understanding the effects of underreporting on injury severity estimation of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes: A hybrid approach incorporating majority class oversampling and random parameters with heterogeneity-in-means authored by Nawaf Alnawmasi, Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Athanasios Theofilatos and Yasir Ali  has been published in Analytic Methods in Accident Research. This study aims to provide an empirical assessment of the impact of underreporting issue using a hybrid approach in estimating injury severity for single-vehicle motorcycle crashes. Key results suggest that crashes occurring during slowing down or stopping are associated with lower injury severity, whereas negotiating a right turn increases the probability of severe injuries. Interestingly, crashes that occur on dry pavements are associated with higher injury severity when compared to wet pavements, likely due to rider behavior adjustments in adverse weather conditions to compensate for the risk.

Critical factors of safe micromobility in Greece, October 2024 A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Critical factors of safe micromobility in Greece” was recently presented by Anestis Gkiourtzidis. Nine (9) binomial logistic regression models were developed based on data (63 electric scooter users) from the third edition of the international ESRA survey (E-Survey on Road Users’ Attitudes). The results showed that older users and those who recognize risks such as speed and lack of attention adopt safer practices. Social pressure within an area influences compliance with road safety rules, while women demonstrate more cautious behavior compared to men. Despite the mandatory use of helmets, many users do not comply, indicating the need for stricter enforcement and education.

Upcoming Events

WHO/VIAS – ESRA3 Webinar, May 2025 WHO Regional Office for Europe together with Vias institute are organizing the 3rd E-Survey of Road Users’ Attitudes (ESRA3) Webinar which will take place online, on 7 May 2025 focusing on supporting road safety insights, policies and practices. The Webinar topics concern:  Linking ESRA and the WHO Global Status Report – Overview, Key Insights, and the Road Ahead of ESRA Initiative – Speeding Behaviour and Support for 30km/h Zones – Gender Specific Risk and Policy in Road Safety – ESRA3 Insights from Latin America – Age and Impaired Driving.  Participation is free upon registration.

ITS Hellas – 10th Intelligent Transport Systems Conference, Athens, May 2025 The Hellenic Association for the deployment of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS Hellas) in cooperation with the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT/CERTH) and the  I-Sense Group of the Institute of Communications & Computer Systems (ICCS), are organizing the 10th ITS Hellas Conference, which will take place in Athens, on 7-8 May 2026. The theme of the Conference will be “Competitiveness, Accessibility, Resilience in Transports & Logistics”, focusing on the developments in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems in Greece. The conference will also include a parallel exhibition of cutting-edge technologies as developed by local initiatives, innovative actions, pilot research projects and companies active in the field. Registration is open here.

NTUA – Artificial Intelligence for Road Safety and Mobility Workshop, Athens, May 2025 NTUA within the framework of the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week is organizing a Scientific Workshop titled  “Artificial Intelligence for Road Safety and Mobility” which will take place in Athens (and online) on May 15th, 2025. The objective of this Workshop is 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 and to open up the discussion in a round table with high-level experts on key innovations in road safety  and mobility research in Greece, in Europe and worldwide. Participation is free upon registration Connect to the Workshop Programme can be found here

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.