The Road Safety Institute Panos Mylonas together with ETSC, are holding an international conference on tackling drink-driving as part of the SMART (Sober Mobility Across Road Transport) project which will take place in Athens, Greece, on 21 June 2018. The debate will address policy and practice on enforcement, penalties, rehabilitation, alcohol interlocks and other measures to discourage and prevent drink driving. 
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 12th edition of PIN Annual Report. In 2010, the European Union renewed its commitment to improve road safety by setting a target of reducing road deaths by 50% by 2020, compared to 2010 levels. This target followed an earlier target set in 2001 to halve the number of road deaths by 2010. A new target to halve road deaths by 2030 compared to 2020 levels was announced by the European Commission on 17 May 2018. 25,250 people lost their lives on the EU roads in 2017, representing a 2% reduction on the 2016 figure. This number has fallen by only 3% in the last four years. NTUA contributed actively to this ETSC PIN Annual Report.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 35th PIN Flash Report “An Overview of Road Death Data Collection in the EU“, with the active contribution of NTUA. The goal of this PIN flash report is to gather information on road death data collection in different PIN countries and to find out if and how countries cross-check or complement road death data recorded by the police with alternative sources. The aim is to provide information to exchange good practice on how to improve road death data collection and recording.
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) published a Report on the preparatory work for an EU road safety strategy 2020-2030. This Report was prepared by Jeanne Breen assisted by SWOV and Loughborough University’s Design School. The Commission set three objectives to be addressed: 1) assess the outcome of the road safety policy framework to 2017; 2) consider current and future changes in mobility and its consequences and challenges in relation to road safety; and 3) assist in the preparation of the EU road safety framework for 2020-2030.
Dr. Panagiotis Papantoniou obtained the NTUA Thomaidion Αward 2017 for the publication of the journal paper titled “Simulation of Texting Impact on Young Drivers’ Behaviour and Safety on Motorways”, in the Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. 
Dr. Dimosthenis Pavlou obtained the NTUA Thomaidion Αward 2017 for the publication of the journal paper titled “Which are the effects of driver distraction and brain pathologies on reaction time and accident risk?”, in the Advances in Transportation Studies.
Dimitris Tselentis obtained the NTUA Thomaidion Αward 2017 for the publication of the journal paper titled “Road, Tragic and Human Factors of Pedestrian Crossing Behavior: Integrated Choice and Latent Variables Models”, in the Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board.
A paper titled “Impact of real-time traffic characteristics on crash occurrence: The case of rare events” authored by Athanasios Theofilatos, George Yannis, Pantelis Kopelias and Fanis Papadimitriou is now published in Accident Analysis and Prevention Journal. This paper investigates crash likelihood by utilizing real-time traffic data from three random loop detectors in the Attica Tollway located in Greater Athens Area in Greece and by proposing a framework driven by appropriate statistical models (Bias Correction and Firth method) in order to overcome the problems that arise when the number of crashes is very low. Under this approach instead of using traditional logistic regression methods, crashes are considered as rare events. The method and findings of the study provide insights on the mechanism of crash occurrence and also revealed that lower speeds are more likely to result in accident.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) is organizing the 2018 PIN Conference which will take place in Brussels on 18 June, 2018 in Brussels. At the 2018 PIN conference, ETSC will launch its Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) Annual Report. The latest road safety figures will be presented and actions needed to accelerate road safety progress will be identified. This year, child road safety and data collection topics will be highlighted. The event will also feature a high-level panel debate “the European Road Safety Strategy 2020-30”.
Click here to download the agenda.
Since 53 years, the International Road Federation (IRF) World Road Statistics (WRS) continue to be the major comprehensive, universal source of statistical data on road networks, traffic and inland transport. Over the past years, the WRS have proved to be an invaluable and internationally accepted reference tool for governments, NGOs, investments banks, research institutes and anyone analyzing and reporting trends in key subject areas like traffic volumes and vehicle usage, road expenditure, road safety, energy consumption and emissions. This year, the WRS 2017 (data 2010-2015) features more than 205 countries, with data on over 45 road related topics, presented in nine substantive sections, with the active contribution of NTUA for the Greek data. 
The Hellenic Chambers Transport Association (EESYM) organised the 17th Panhellenic Transport Chamber Conference which took place with great success on Saturday 2 June 2018 in Livadia, Greece.
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation: 
Road transport safety in Greece
The World Road Association (PIARC) organises the XXVIth World Road Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from 6 to 10 October 2019, jointly with the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport. It will include around 50 sessions, a large exhibition, technical visits and social activities and will attract over 5,000 ministers, companies, administrations, experts from all over the world.
Tongji University organized the “6th International Symposium on Transportation Safety” & “7th Sino-German Symposium on Road Traffic Safety”, which took place with great success on 11-13 May 2018, in Jiading Campus, Tongji University. The symposium focused this year on the “Traffic Safety Research and Improvement under the Scenarios of Rapid Reforming Transportation System”. Its aim is to identify the key aspects of safety improvements, enhance the knowledge of international safety improvement countermeasures, and strengthen the crash data analysis, roadway infrastructure safety design and multi-disciplinary research in China.
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
European Commission (DG Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion) released a very interesting guide containing good practices for managing work related vehicle risks in the EU, with a specific focus on workplace transport, driving for work and working on or near a road. With this interactive e-guide many good practices are provided as well as an overview of relevant regulations and information in three key aspects of vehicle risks: safe driving for work, workplace transport safety, and working on or near a road.
The final event of the three Horizon 2020 projects InDeV, PROSPECT and XCYCLE will take place on October 12th 2018 at Applus+ IDIADA, 70 km south of the city of Barcelona. At this one-day event, results of these three projects on traffic safety analysis and integrated approach towards better protection of vulnerable road users will be presented. Participants will also have the opportunity to see live demonstrations that will be performed.
Registration for the final event will open on June 15th. For registration please go to the web pages of any of the projects: www.indev-project.eu; www.prospect-project.eu; www.xcycle-h2020.eu
The Nordic Traffic Safety Academy (NTSA) organised the 7th Annual Scientific Seminar of the Nordic Traffic Safety Academy which took place with great success in Trondheim, on 7-8 May 2018. NTSA is a Nordic forum where academics meet to exchange information and experience in research and education. The aims of the NTSA are to promote scientific discussion within the road traffic safety society on a multidisciplinary base and to enhance the scientific aspect and status of road traffic safety as an academic discipline”. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The International Road Traffic and Accident Group (IRTAD) of the International Transport Forum (ITF/OECD) published recently a new Report: “Safer Roads with Automated Vehicles?”. This report examines how increasing automation of cars and trucks could affect road safety, and which security vulnerabilities will need to be addressed with the rise of self-driving vehicles. It introduces the principles of Safe System approach and the relevance of Vision Zero for road safety to the wider discussion on vehicle automation. 
The International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) of the International Transport Forum (ITF/OECD) published the summary version of the Annual Report 2018, which provides an overview of road safety performance for 32 countries. The report outlines the most recent road safety developments across IRTAD countries and provides comparative data for the main road safety indicators also detailed by road user, age group and type of road. Furthermore, the IRTAD Annual Report contains syntheses of the the road safety strategies and targets in place as well on recent trends in speeding, drink-driving and other aspects of road user behaviour.
The European Commission’s Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) has released the well expected and breakthrough EU integrated policy for the future of road safety within its new set of actions to modernise Europe’s transport systems with the agenda for safe, clean and connected mobility“. This integrated policy comes together with the revision of road infrastructure safety management directive (with the active contribution of NTUA) and the proposal for a regulation on type-approval requirements for motor vehicles and the communication on the road to automated mobility. The full list of proposals, together with the respective fact sheets and supporting documents is available:
The International Transport Forum‘s 2018 Summit on “Transport Safety and Security” took place with great success on 23 – 25 May 2018 in Leipzig, Germany, with the participation of more than 1.500 key road safety officials, stakeholders and experts. The 2018 edition of this vibrant global conference addressed strategic and topical transport safety issues, including: Cycling, Pedestrians, Urban Space and Health, Planning and Design, Road Infrastructure Safety Management, Measures Assessment, Zero Road Deaths and Serious Injuries, Safe Travel for Women. In parallel, the ITF, together with ECTRI, ERTRAC, FERSI, TRB and WCTRS, organised the “Transport Safety and Security” Research Day. A new Ministerial Declaration on Transport Safety and Security was agreed by the ITF Member States. NTUA Professor George Yannis made a key presentation:
A paper titled “How many crashes are caused by driver interaction with passengers? A meta-analysis approach” authored by Athanasios Theofilatos, Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Eleonora Papadimitriou, and George Yannis is now published in Journal of Safety Research. Conversation and other interactions with passengers while driving induce a level of distraction to the person driving. This paper conducts a qualitative literature review on the effect of passenger interaction on road safety and then extends it by using meta-analysis techniques. The findings of the random-effects meta-analyses that were carried out showed that driver interaction with passengers causes a non-negligible proportion of road crashes, namely 3,5% of crashes regardless of the age of the passengers and 3.8% when child and teen passengers are excluded.
The Hellenic Statistical Authority (ELSTAT) has issued a comprehensive set of statistics on Casualty Road Accidents in Greece for 2016, comprising time-series for the decade 2007-2016. In 2016, 11.318 road accidents with fatalities or serious injuries occurred in Greece, recording a decrease of 1.1% in comparison with 2015 and ending an impressive road fatalities drop during the economic crisis of almost 50%. During the last five years, road fatalities in Greece have decreased by 29% (since 2011), however injury road accidents decreased only by 17%. The rate fatalities per number of vehicles has decreased by 30% since 2011.
