Month: October 2021
The World Health Oganisation (WHO) opened the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030 in Geneva, with the ambitious target of preventing at least 50% of road traffic deaths and injuries by 2030. WHO and the UN Regional Commissions, in cooperation with other partners in the UN Road Safety Collaboration, have developed a Global Plan for the Decade of Action. Road traffic accidents have remained a major cause of death globally, even though every one of those deaths and injuries is preventable. 
A Global Plan has been developed to support the implementation of the Decade of Action and its objectives. 
A Global Plan has been developed to support the implementation of the Decade of Action and its objectives. 
Τhe European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 41st PIN Flash Report titled Reducing road deaths among young people, aged 15 to 30. This Report looks at the progress made in Europe in reducing road deaths among young people. It is based on the latest available data from the 32 EU and non-EU countries that participate in ETSC’s Road Safety Performance Index (PIN) programme, examining trends over time as well as differences between countries, which are very significant.
The SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre, the Université Gustave Eiffel (UGE) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) co-organised with great success the 8th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI2022) which was held in Gothenburg, on 19-20 October 2022. The Conference brought together participants – from academia, industry and government – up-to-date on the developments and trends in the field of inattention and distraction in driving.
The new EU road fatalities interactive infographic of the NTUA Road Safety Observatory, based on European Commission CARE data for 2019, allows for performance comparisons for different types of road crashes. It is demonstrated that disaggregate data can reveal hidden road safety problems, allowing national Authorities to focus on targeted road safety countermeasures. 
The International Road Federation (IRF) organised with great success the IRF Annual Conference 2021, under the theme “Innovation: Charting Pathways to Sustainable Mobility” which was held on 20-21 October 2021. With fast-growing populations leading to significant urbanisation, the demand for new transport infrastructure is predicted to see massive growth in coming decades. The new challenges that the Conference focused on, were the increasing expectations of businesses, service users and the public and the need to reduce carbon emissions and waste.
The 2022 International Research Council on the Biomechanics of Injury Europe Conference was held with great success in Porto, Portugal, on 14-16 September 2022. Through scientific conferences, training courses and other activities, the IRCOBI Council provides an academically rigorous forum for dissemination of the latest research into injury causation and protective systems.
The French Institute of Science and Technology for Transport, Development and Networks (IFSTTAR) organised with great success the 7th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI2021) under the theme “Disconnected drivers during manual, assisted, and automated driving”, which was held online, on 18-20 October. The Conference topics included theory, measurement, effects, crash risks, and prevention/mitigation related to driver distraction and inattention. Moreover, DDI2021 focused on the driver/occupant status. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The 15th European Night Without Crashes was celebrated with great success on 16 October 2021 in most European countries. In Greece, the Road Safety Institute “Panos Mylonas” (RSI), EFTHITA Rhodes, AOLAP, KEDE, Road Traffic Police, OASA and other associations participated and supported the action, in order to raise awareness on the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol, aiming to a world without road fatalities. 
The EU-funded Horizon 2020 project Levitate (Societal Level Impacts of Connected and Automated Vehicles) organised with great success a Webinar under the theme Policy interventions, which was held online, on 18 October. The Webinar provided insights on the potential impacts of introducing policy measures related to on-street parking repurposing, road-user pricing and dedicated CAV lanes. These policy interventions have been assessed using realistic traffic models in terms of their impacts on traffic, the environment (CO2, NOx and PM) and road safety.
The United Nations (UN) organised with great success the Second United Nations Global Sustainable Transport Conference which took place in Beijing, on 14-16 October 2021. The Conference focused attention on the opportunities, challenges and solutions towards achieving sustainable transport worldwide. The programme of the Conference reflected the diversity and complexity of the transport sector and provided an opportunity for policy dialogue as well as forging partnerships and initiatives to advance sustainable transport.
ERTICO organised with great success the ITS World Congress which took place on 11-15 October 2021, in Hamburg, Germany under the theme “Experience Future Mobility Now“. Every year, ERTICO organises an ITS regional or World Congress in Europe. The Congresses are the yearly celebration of smart and safe mobility: they underline the importance of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), particularly in cities and regions where they are hosted, and are important channels to raise awareness of smart and safe mobility solutions among policy makers, experts and the general public. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The network of thematic experts Vip4Ride organised with great success the 2nd International Conference which was held in Alexandroupolis, on 14-15 October, under the theme: “Intermodal Transports: Innovations in Planning, Management, Business Development & Decision Making” and focusing on the main economic advantages of developing intermodal transport, energy and tourism sectors. Special attention was given to decision making for investments and project financing in large infrastructures to promote intermodal options. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentations:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentations:
iRAP in cooperation with the Regional Road Safety Observatories in Africa (ARSO), Asia-Pacific (APRSO), Ibero-America (OISEVI), Europe (ERSO) and West Balkans (WBRSO), organised with great success the 2021 iRAP Innovation Workshop which was held online, on 7 and 14 October. The Workshop took place under the theme “Data Driven Innovation to Halve Global Road Deaths by 2030” and it brought together global innovation, policy, technical and road safety leaders, along with investment experts, with the capacity to implement change and eliminate high-risk roads.
The Forum of European Road Safety Research Institutes (FERSI) organised with great success a Symposium titled: “Implementing evidence-based road safety measures, removing barriers and enhancing public support“, which was held online, on 14 October 2021. The Symposium had three presentations on vulnerable road users, speed and road safety management. Practitioners and decision makers who have been successful in implementing effective but sometimes controversial road safety measures shared their experiences. The symposium was a prelude to a physical conference on the same topic that will held in the autumn of 2022.
The European Parliament has voted overwhelmingly for road safety measures to reach zero deaths on EU roads by 2050. The vote was based on the EP Transport and Tourism Committee Report on Recommendations on next steps towards “Vision Zero”, which suggests key priorities and include key measures such as among others: 30km/h city speed limits, Zero-tolerance for drink-driving, the European Road Safety Agency, etc.
ERTICO, ITS Asia-Pasific and ITS America co-organised the 27th ITS World Congress which was held in Hamburg, on 11-15 October 2021, under the theme: “Experience Future Mobility Now”. ITS World Congress is the forum to make meaningful connections, experience inventive conference program presented by industry experts, and see cutting-edge technology in the Exhibit Hall. ITS World Congress allows the smart mobility community to come together to explore the deployment of intelligent transportation technologies that saves lives, improves mobility, promotes sustainability, and increases efficiency and productivity.
The European Platform of Transport Sciences (EPTS) organised with great success the 19th European Trasnport Conference which was held in Maribor, on 7-8 October 2021. The main themes of the Conference were smart urban traffic management for sustainable urban mobility and freight, digitalisation and automatization of urban mobility and freight, AI in mobility and logistics in urban areas and new organisational and business models for mobility and logistics.
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety released its Good Practice Guide on Meaningful NGO Participation in the Field of Road Safety, demonstrating the unique and essential value of including NGOs in road safety decision making and implementation. The guide is a practical resource for NGOs and other civil society advocates. It describes steps that they can take to position themselves more effectively with their governments and to get their voices included in decision making.
The Alfred Herrhausen Gesellschaft (AHG) together with the london School of Economics (LSE) organised with great success the Athens Urban Age Task Force-Sustainable Transport and Walkability Workshop, online, on October 1st 2021. The Workshop focused on key areas of urban intervention such as public spaces, access and walkability and urban greening. NTUA contributed actively with the following presentation:
