January 2020

Month: January 2020

The concepts of “fatigue”, “sleepiness” and “drowsiness” are often used interchangeably. Sleepiness is an aspect of fatigue which is perhaps easiest to define. Sleepiness can be defined as the neurobiological need to sleep[1], resulting from physiological wake and sleep drives[2]. Driving fatigue is associated with increased crash risk which often results from a combination of biological, lifestyle-related and work-related factors. Crashes in which driver fatigue plays a role are not only a matter of having spent too long behind the wheel; fatigue can also be caused by too little sleep, stress, or the time of the day.

Fatigue has a physical and a mental aspect.
Fatigue is associated with both reduced capacity to perform and motivation to perform.
Although sleepiness and fatigue may have different causes, their effects on performance and motivation are similar, a decrease in mental and physical functioning.
When fatigued, persons may alternate normal functioning with short lapses in performance (i.e. not noticing or responding to signals). The long term result of fatigue is an increasing variability of performance.

Why fatigue is dangerous?

Driving fatigue is a major factor in 10-20% of road crashes. A person who drives after being awake for 17 hours has a risk of crashing equivalent to being at the level of 0.05 blood alcohol concentration (i.e. twice the normal risk).

More tired/sleepy = higher probability of a crash

Increase of the task demands (e.g. driving faster so that a ‘new’ sensation of driving raises adrenaline and attention levels)
Reduction of the task demands (e.g. increase of the safety margins by slowing down or using longer headways)
Driver more likely to lose control
Less time to take preventive action
Less accurately reaction to deceleration by the driver in front
Difficulty in keeping the vehicle in the lane

Key Recommendations

There is a clear need for drivers to avoid driving fatigue. How?

Avoid driving at times when you would normally be asleep!
The moment fatigue sets in, do not start driving or continue driving!
Take a nap or ask a passenger to take over the driving task!
Allow fresh air into the car (by opening the window or switching on the air conditioning)
Talk to a passenger!
Stop driving for some food or exercise!
Turn up the volume of the music!

[1] NCSCR/NHTSA Expert panel on driver fatigue and sleepiness (2001) Drowsy driving and automobile crashes

[2] Johns, M.W. (2000) A sleep physiologist’s view of drowsy driving. Transportation Research Part F, 3, pp. 241-249

iRAP – Innovation workshop, Stockholm, February, 2020

iRAP in cooperation with ITF and the World Bank organized a workshop entitled: “Achieving the UN Road Safety Targets by 2030” which took place on 17-18 Febuary 2020 in Stockholm, Sweden. The iRAP innovation workshop brought together leaders at the highest level of global and regional impact including government, policy, financing, technology, infrastructure management and data innovation. A number of sessions focused on the global structure needed to deliver the 2030 targets, big data for big life savings, lobal planning and design standards, international case studies of success and the business case for safer roads and investment innovation.

ETSC – How safe is walking and cycling in Europe? (PIN Flash 38), January, 2020

The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 38th PIN Flash Report “How safe is walking and cycling in Europe?“, with the active contribution of NTUA. This Report examines the most recent available data on the current safety levels of cycling and walking across the EU and other countries that provide data to ETSC as part of its Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) programme, and it concludes with recommendations for action at EU. It is highlighted that for a serious shift to walking and cycling, particularly for local journeys in densely populated areas, the very design of urban spaces will need to change. Motorised traffic will need to slow down when it comes into spaces used by vulnerable road users; separated infrastructure and smart intersection design will be essential; school streets without cars may need to become the norm.

PIARC – Catalogue Of Road Safety Case Studies, January, 2020

The World Road Association – PIARC recently published the Catalogue of Case Studies, containing a properly documented set of interventions designed, implemented and operated worldwide to improve road safety in three specific fields: Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), Human Factors (HF) and interventions in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). This Catalogue is aimed to be enriched in the future with new case studies, showing other applications, different solutions to solve the same problems and better representing the safety interventions applied or applicable in LMICs.

PIARC – Review of Global Road Safety Audit Guidelines, 2020

The World Road Association – PIARC recently published the “Review of Global Road Safety Audit Guidelines – With Specific Consideration for Low- and Middle-Income Countries”. This Report involves a comprehensive review of current Road Safety Audit Manuals and Guidelines from a range of different countries to establish current practices and considers previous international reviews to determine key areas where additional guidance is required, or exemplar practice is well established. The initial consideration is given to the core issues facing many countries regarding implementing a comprehensive audit system.

PIARC – New Strategic Plan 2020-2023

World Road Association- PIARC launches a new Strategic Plan by organizing kick-off meetings for all its 22 Technical Committees and Task Forces, on 22 January – 14 February 2020 in Paris, France. A thousand experts from about 140 countries will participate in the meetings in order to discuss how to organize their work for the next four-year cycle. PIARC organizes its efforts into four Strategic Themes: Road Administration; Mobility; Safety and Sustainability; and Resilient Infrastructure. The main purpose of the kick-off meetings is to discuss expected outputs, so as to initiate a prompt start to their work.

i-DREAMS – 1st Newsletter on Safety Tolerance Zone, 2020

The 1st newsletter of the Horizon 2020 project i-DREAMS (Safety Tolerance zone calculation and interventions for driver – vehicle – environment interactions under challenging conditions) was recently released highlighting the key activities of the first 8 months of the project with the active contribution of NTUA. It contains the project video, a closer look at the Safety Tolerance Zone concept and the i-DREAMS prototype, the team behind this exciting project, the expert advisory board members and some publications and press releases.

Ministry of Development – National Conference on Growth, Athens, 2020

The Greek Ministry of Development and Investment organised with great success the National Conference on Growth for the Partnership Agreement 2021-2027, which was held in Athens on 17 January 2020. The Conference for the upcoming period 2021 – 2027 marks the official launch of the dialogue of all productive forces, social and scientific bodies and policy makers. The aim is to formulate strategic choices at National and Regional level for all the critical development and socio-economic issues of the new period 2021-2027. Transport and road safety were key components of the discussions. NTUA Professor George Yannis contributed actively with the following presentation: Critical challenges for a Sustainable National Transportation System

Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport – Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans Workshop, Athens, 2020

The Greek Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in cooperation with the partners of the European program CIVITAS SUMPs-UP organized with great success a two-day event on 16 and 17 January 2020 on Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans (SUMP), in Athens. The purpose of the event was to provide support for the development of sustainable cities and to ensure accessibility for pedestrians, bike users and all citizens. Road safety was a key component of the urban mobility discussions. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation: Road Safety Measures for Sustainable Urban Mobility Plans

99th TRB Annual Meeting, Washington, January 2020

The Transportation Research Board (TRB) 99th Annual Meeting was held with great success in Washington, D.C., on 12–16 January 2020. The meeting program covered all transportation modes, with more than 5,000 presentations in nearly 800 sessions and workshops, addressing topics of interest to policy makers, administrators, practitioners, researchers, and representatives of government, industry, and academic institutions. A number of sessions and workshops focused on the spotlight theme for the 2020 meeting: A Century of Progress: Foundation for the Future.

NTUA road safety presentations concerned:

Passing Sight Distance Assessment through the Interaction of Road-Vehicle Parameters
Investigation of Traffic and Safety Behavior of Pedestrians Texting or Web-Surfing
Economic Assessment of Road Infrastructure Safety Schemes in Greece Using Crash Prediction Methodology

ECF/Global NGOs – The Best Practice Guide for Safer Cycling, 2020

The European Cyclists’ Federation (ECF) and the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety with the support of FedEx released a very interesting Guide containing good practices for supporting community and non-government organisations (NGOs) advocating for safer cycling in European cities. It is based on the experiences of the Netherlands and Denmark, two countries that have developed significant expertise in the field of cycling safety. Written in cooperation between the European Cyclists’ Federation, the Fietsersbond and the Cyklistforbundet, this guide seeks to collate and advocate for the adoption of best practice measures regarding road user behaviour, infrastructure design, safe vehicles and the management of road infrastructure.

Drive2theFuture – 1st Workshop, Brussels, 2020

The Horizon 2020 project Drive2theFuture is organising the 1st Drive2theFuture Workshop which was held in Brussels, Belgium, on 6 March 2020. Drive2theFuture’s mission was to prepare “drivers”, travellers and vehicle operators of the future to accept and use connected, cooperative and automated transport modes and the industry of these technologies to understand and meet their needs and wants. The Workshop focused on the discussion, exchange of ideas and learning about the future of user-centered automation.

AET – 48th European Transport Conference, online, September 2020

The Association for European Transport organised with great success the 48th European Transport Conference, which took place online, on 9-11 September 2020. The European Transport Conference (ETC) is the annual conference of the Association for European Transport. Each year the conference presents the opportunity to interact with a range of speakers across the Transport Industry, including several Road Safety Topics. The range of topics, the multi-seminar approach and the networking environment make ETC unique among transport conferences, making it the established premier event of its type.

NTUA graduate Dimitrios Giagkou wins Ecopolis Award 2019

NTUA graduate Dimitrios Giagkou obtained the Ecopolis 2019 Award for Urban Transport for the Diploma Thesis “Mobility and Road Safety in European Cities“, carried out within the NTUA Department of Transportation Planning and Engineering of the National Technical University of Athens. The Environmental Awareness Awards Ecopolis seek to contribute to the promotion and recognition of the increased and proven environmental sensitivity of State Bodies, Local Government, Enterprises, Scientific and Research Institutions as well as Public Media Services.