Author: Ioannis Papadogiorgakis
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. 
A paper titled Analyzing the safety effects of different operating speeds for an autonomous shuttle bus service authored by Maria Oikonomou, Marios Sekadakis, Christos Katrakazas and George Yannis has been published in Traffic Safety Research. This study utilizes microscopic simulation analysis in order to quantify the impact of road safety of an automated shuttle bus service within traffic. In the traffic network of Villaverde, Madrid, several scenarios were simulated using the Aimsun software considering the various CAV MPRs and the different operational speeds of the service, namely 15, 30, and 45 km/h. The analysis revealed that the conflict frequency is lower when the shuttle bus operates at 45 or 30 km/h compared to 15 km/h, with the 45 km/h speed showing the largest reduction. This reduction in conflicts is probably due to the shuttle bus adapting more easily to the average traffic speed and is more synchronized with traffic flow. The current study establishes a solid relationship for the conflict frequency of AV shuttles enabling stakeholders to optimize road safety towards a future of automated traffic.
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:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
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:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
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. 
The UN Road Safety Collaboration organized with great success the global campaign for the 8th UN Global Road Safety Week, which was held on 12-18 May 2025. World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with partners, organized periodic UN Global Road Safety Weeks. This 8th edition offered an opportunity to spur action at national and local levels to make walking and cycling safe, by highlighting concrete and specific interventions that can be taken by different stakeholders – governments, international agencies, civil society, businesses and schools. These actions helped to promote and facilitate a shift to walking and cycling, which are more healthy, green, sustainable and economically advantageous modes of transport.
The International Cooperation on Theories and Concepts in Traffic safety (ICTCT) in cooperation with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Institute of Transportation Systems are organizing the 37th ICTCT Conference which will take place in Berlin, Germany, on 23-24 October 2025. The objective of this Conference is to support the understanding and the execution of suitable approaches to move towards a transportation system without severely injured or killed road users. Due to the rapid progress in the development of powerful computing technology and the enormous potential of artificial intelligence, participants will have the opportunity to uncover the effects of traffic infrastructure, physical conditions, traffic environment and other risk factors, as for example human behaviour, on traffic safety. Programme can be found here.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV, VIAS Institute and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Traffic Safety Culture Thematic Report which emphasizes on growing a positive Traffic Safety Culture (TSC). This Thematic Report highlights that TSC encompasses shared values, norms, and attitudes that impact behaviours across the road system, influencing not only individual road users but also key stakeholders such as public authorities, private companies, NGOs, vehicle manufacturers, and infrastructure designers. An important way to leverage TSC as a concept to improve road safety is through organisations and companies, also preventive efforts to tackle risk behaviours should be made, ideally by focusing on long-term behavioural change. 
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV, VIAS Institute and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Professional Drivers Thematic Report which mainly refers to the safety of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) and buses. This Thematic Report highlights that the safety of HGVs and buses are significantly influenced by road infrastructure due to their unique characteristics such as mass, maneuverability, and acceleration/deceleration capabilities, as well as the fatigue and distraction of the drivers. Furthermore, countermeasures about separating these heavy vehicles from other road users, providing professional drivers with timely warnings about hazardous or restricted road sections and addressing the need for adequate and well-managed overnight parking facilities for HGVs are suggested.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV, VIAS Institute and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Children Thematic Report which refers to the safety of children. This Thematic Report highlights that children are, along with elderly people, the most vulnerable road users with boys being most at risk due to greater exposure and risk-taking behaviour. Moreover, a series of specific countermeasures are suggested, such as road infrastructure that prioritizes vulnerable users, 30 km/h zones around childcare facilities, mandatory protective equipment, the enhancement of active and passive vehicle safety, traffic laws with strict penalties, as well as better Traffic Safety and Mobility education in schools.
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:
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.
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:
The World Conference on Transport Research Society (WCTRS) is organizing the 17th World Conference on Transport Research which will be held in Toulouse, France, on 6-10 July 2026. For the last 40 years, WCTR has been organized every three years by the WCTR Society, uniting specialists from the transportation sector worldwide. Topics for discussion at the World Conference on Transport Research are grouped into 9 distinct themes which include maritime and air transport logistics, infrastructure design, traffic management in urban environments or the emergence of transport in developing countries. Researchers can submit their papers until 1 September 2025.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) has published the 48th PIN Flash Report titled “Reducing Serious Injuries on European Roads“. This Report examines the underreporting of serious injuries in European roads. According to official sources, approximately 1,291,000 people are reported injured annually in the European Union, with 141,000 of these injuries being serious. While most serious injuries are suffered as a result of collisions involving motor vehicles and are much more likely to be reported by police, many involving pedestrians and cyclists where no motor vehicle was involved go unreported. The current performance in the European Union is not on track for reaching the target to reduce serious road traffic injuries by 50% between 2020 and 2030 and further action targeting serious injuries reduction is needed.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Annual Statistical Report on Road Safety, April 2025 in the EU, which provides an overview of crash data for 2013 to 2023 from 27 EU Member States and the four EFTA countries. According to this Report, 53% of road traffic fatalities occurred on rural roads, versus 38% in urban areas and 9% on motorways. It was also revealed that car occupants (drivers and passengers) represented 44% of all fatalities, while pedestrians accounted for 18%, users of powered two-wheelers (motorbikes and mopeds) 17%, and cyclists 10%.
The European Transport Safety Council (ETSC) together with the Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport and European Commision organized with great success the EURSE Workshop of Road Safety: Urban Safety and Safety of PTW, which took place in Athens, on 31 March – 1 April 2025. The main focuses of this event included information on the new regulations, as well as good practices to enhance road safety. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentations:
City-wide 30km/h speed limits – Challenges and perspectives
Challenges for Power-Two Wheelers and Urban Roads Safety in Greece
City-wide 30km/h speed limits – Challenges and perspectives
Challenges for Power-Two Wheelers and Urban Roads Safety in Greece
A paper titled Identifying driving profiles after take over request in automated vehicles at SAE levels 2 and 3 authored by Marios Sekadakis, Sandra Trösterer, Peter Moertl and George Yannis has been published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. The analysis included clustering to develop distinct driving profiles based on key measurements collected through a driving simulator experiment, such as acceleration, deceleration, and speed, offering a deep understanding of driver behavior in responses to take over requests. Findings suggest that the nervous driving profile, although less frequent, poses significant safety implications due to higher deceleration rates and variability in speed and deceleration. The study also highlights that non-driving related tasks increase the need for longer take over time with greater variability observed at higher automation levels. These insights can inform the design of more adaptive HMI systems, enhance real-time feedback mechanisms, and improve driver training programs to ensure safer transitions during take over requests.
A paper titled Evaluating the Environmental and Safety Impacts of Eco-Driving in Urban and Highway Environments authored by Marios Sekadakis, Maria Ioanna Sousouni, Thodoris Garefalakis, Maria Oikonomou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis has been published in Sustainability. Within a group of 39 participants aged 18–30, multiple driving scenarios were conducted, both without and with eco-driving guides, to assess the impact of eco-driving behavior on environmental sustainability and safety outcomes. Data on pollutant emissions, as well as crash probability were utilized using linear regression models, while binary logistic regression models were employed to assess crash probability. The analysis revealed thateco-driving led to a significant reduction in pollutant emissions, with CO2 emissions decreasing by 1.42%, CO by 98.2%, and NOx by 20.7% across both urban and highway environments, with a more substantial impact in urban settings due to lower average speeds and smoother driving patterns. These findings support the integration of eco-driving techniques into transportation policies and driver education programs to foster sustainable and safer driving practices.
A paper titled Examining the effects of texting, web surfing, and navigating apps on urban driving behavior and crash risk authored by Maria Oikonomou, Foteini Orfanou, Marios Sekadakis, Dimosthenis Pavlou and George Yannis has been published in Traffic Safety Research. This study collects driving data from 36 young adult drivers through a driving simulator experiment, supplemented by a survey to gather participant characteristics and driving profiles. Data analysis utilized linear and binary logistic mixed models to explore the effects of texting and web surfing on speed and its deviation, headway distance and its deviation, and crash risk. Results indicate that using texting, web surfing and navigating applications while driving elevate crash risk by 10% and decrease speed, speed deviation, headway, and headway deviation by 9%, 23%, 6%, and 18%, respectively. These findings underscore the crucial role of specific smartphone applications in shaping driving behavior and emphasize the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the associated risks in urban driving scenarios.
A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “The impact of alcohol consumption on driving in rural roads using a driving simulator” was recently presented by Giorgos Papadakis. For this purpose, a driving simulation experiment was conducted with 35 drivers of different characteristics, who were required to drive under varying blood alcohol concentration levels. Additionally, data were collected through questionnaires, including demographic characteristics, driving habits, and perceptions regarding alcohol-impaired driving. Data analysis was performed using statistical and mathematical models, such as linear regression and binary logistic regression, revealing that increased BAC leads to a longer reaction time, higher accident probability, and reduced ability to maintain a safe distance from the preceding vehicle. The results confirm the significant impact of alcohol consumption on driving safety and emphasize the necessity of additional preventive measures.
A NTUA Diploma Thesis titled “Predicting driver behaviour in a cross-country naturalistic driving study using machine learning techniques” was recently presented by Giannis Roukos. For this reason, valuable data on driver behavior were collected through a driving experiment conducted under real-world conditions in Belgium and the United Kingdom. In the initial analysis, the importance of the variables was calculated using the “Random Forest” algorithm, based on which nine input variables were selected for further analysis. Findings suggest that the average speed of the vehicle was identified was the most significant variable, while sudden driving events, including both harsh acceleration and harsh braking, were found to significantly influence the classification of driving behavior as dangerous.
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.
The Horizon Europe research project IMPROVA has recently released its 2nd Newsletter, focusing on enhancing road safety by addressing the complexities of long-term consequences (LTC) caused by road traffic crashes. This newsletter announces the 2nd Knowledgebase Forum (KBF) which will focus on the advancements in the topic of Long-term con sequences: Scales, Virtual Testing and Human Body Models, which will take place in Vilnius Lithuania, on September 8 2025. Consortium members participated in a Data Protection Impact Assessment training by NTUA, gaining valuable insights.
According to the European Commission preliminary statistics, fewer people died on European roads in 2024, a slight 3% drop compared to 2023, which is the equivalent to 600 fewer lives lost. In 2024, around 19,800 people were killed in road crashes in the EU. Over the past five years, Greece, Spain, France, and Italy have seen only modest declines in road deaths; in contrast, Bulgaria, Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovenia are making strong progress toward the 50% reduction target. Even if road fatalities decreased more significantly in 2024 than they did in 2023, the overall pace of improvement remains too slow, and most Member States are not on track to meet the EU’s goal of halving road deaths by 2030.
Eurocities organized with great success the Impacts and Evidence Webinar: “How to move from regulation to effectiveness of speed reduction strategies” within the task force on 30 km/h and speed reduction in cities, which was held online, on 14 March 2025. As part of the activities of the Eurocities Task Force, 20 cities actively involved to organize this Webinar on impacts of city-wide 30 km/h speed limit in which 200+ cities participated. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
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), organized with great success the 10th ITS Hellas Conference, which took place in Athens, on 7-8 May 2025. The theme of the Conference was “Competitiveness, Accessibility, Resilience in Transports & Logistics”, focusing on the developments in the field of Intelligent Transport Systems in Greece. The conference also included a parallel exhibition of cutting-edge technologies as developed by local initiatives, innovative actions, pilot research projects and companies active in the field. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
Chemnitz University of Technology is organizing the HUMANIST Conference 2025 which will take place in Chemnitz, Germany on 27-29 August 2025. The focus of this event will be on innovative and intelligent mobility solutions and applications for diverse user groups. The Conference will bring together researchers, experts and stakeholders from several multidisciplinary communities that are active in the field of Human Factors in Transport. It is going to be a unique and attractive forum to present current and planned activities as well as to share ideas and experiences. Programme can be found here.
A paper titled Using computer vision and street-level videos for pedestrian-vehicle tracking and behaviour analysis, authored by Roberto Ventura, Stella Roussou, Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Benedetto Barabino and George Yannis has been published in Transportation Research Interdisciplinary Perspectives. Using advanced computer vision object detection and feature extraction models, this framework integrates Kalman filtering, homography transformations, and object re-identification to achieve high accuracy. This study utilizes data from roadside video recordings from Athens, Greece. The findings show accuracy rates of 50%-70% in detecting traffic light statuses and identified a 23% discrepancy on average between manual and automated counts of illegal crossings. This paper underscores the potential of computer vision detection systems to provide reliable, real-time data that takes the road network conditions into account, ultimately contributing to safer urban traffic management and informed policy decisions.
The European Commission together with the European Conference of Transport Research Institutes (ECTRI), the US Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the World Conference on Transport Research Society organized with great success the ITF Annual Summit Research Sessions, held as part of the 2025 ITF Annual Summit, which took place in Leipzig, Germany, on 21-23 May 2025. The Research Sessions promoted exchanges between research experts and policy practitioners focused on the Summit themes. This event focused on key shocks such as natural disasters, pandemics, cyber-attacks, and geopolitical crises, which can cause operational delays, economic losses, and diminished public confidence.
