Author: Ioannis Papadogiorgakis
The International Transport Forum (ITF) together with the World Health Organization (WHO), recently launched “The Global Road Safety Assessment Framework for Corporate Action and Reporting” to support businesses in integrating robust road safety practices into their operations and value chains and thereby contribute to the global effort to reduce road traffic fatalities and injuries. The development of this Framework was initiated in response to a call from Transport Ministers representing over 60 countries to enhance road safety practices across corporate value chains and align them with the Global Plan for the United Nations Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030, by incorporating key standards and guidelines. 
UNRSF at the 4th Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety, which was held at Morocco, Marrakesh on 18-20 February, reaffirmed their commitment to making roads safer. This event mobilised critical funding to support life-saving road safety initiatives in over 125 low and middle income countries facing the highest road crash fatalities. In line with its mission to drive systemic changes in road safety, the UNRSF announced eight new projects, tackling key road safety challenges, from strengthening motorcycle safety laws and sustainable financing to improving enforcement and protecting vulnerable road users. 
The International Transport Forum (ITF) has recently published its new Safe System Tool, with the active contribution of NTUA, which offers a user-friendly interface to navigate through the International Transport Forum’s framework for implementing a Safe System. The Tool helps road safety stakeholders to evaluate how their strategies, projects or plans contribute to a Safe System, since it visualises opportunities for improvement and helps to identify effective interventions to save lives.
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. 
The Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG Move) of the European Commission released the Statistical Pocketbook 2024 “EU Transport in figures”. In this Statistical Pocketbook, key road safety Tables are contained, together with several other Tables on transport statistics, providing a complete picture of current trends in transport in Europe. Data on road fatalities for the EU Member States and associate countries allow for time series comparisons and country rankings.
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety recently launched their mobility snapshot tool, an interactive map which shows the realities of how unsafe the streets are as well as the solutions that can make the communities more livable and sustainable, enabling access to education and work. Data are collected at specific intersections in local communities from 118 Mobility Snapshots in 44 countries at intersections across Africa, Asia, Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. Key findings show that more than 156,000 pedestrians use these 118 intersections during peak hour, yet 102 of them lacked traffic calming measures or a speed limit of 30 km/h or lower.
The Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety recently published a White Paper based on global best practices, in consultation with Alliance member NGOs, ensuring safe motorcycle helmets through appropriate laws, enforcement, and promotion. Through this White Paper, the Global Alliance of NGOs for Road Safety and its over 395 member NGOs from more than 100 countries, will assist Governments achieve the reduction of road fatalities and injuries needed to accomplish the vision of having zero road deaths and injuries by 2030.
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.
The Horizon Europe research project metaCCAZE has recently released a new Blog Post authored by Evi Koliou on AI and Smart Cities. As stated, AI-driven solutions can transform urban environments, since smart traffic control systems are no longer a futuristic concept but a present reality. These AI-driven systems optimise traffic flow, reduce congestion, and cut down emissions. By leveraging connected vehicle data and digital twins—technology that simulates real-world scenarios—we can develop road safety strategies that save lives.
EU Road Safety Cluster organized with great success the First EU Road Safety Cluster Joint Webinar which took take place online, on 25 February 2025. The aim of this webinar was to enhance road safety for users of active and shared mobility, drivers and vulnerable road users using AI, transport modeling, and big data, through the newly-formed EU Road Safety Cluster, a group of EU-funded projects, AI4CCAM, EVENTS, FRODDO, HEIDI, Phoebe, and SOTERIA. The participants had the opportunity to audience an initial glimpse into the innovative solutions addressed by the cluster’s projects through short spotlight presentations, followed by a brief discussion on current urban road safety challenges.
FACTUAL together with iRAP & POLIS network organized with great success the PHOEBE – JULIA webinar which took place online, on 18 February 2025. The aim of this webinar was to highlight different assessment methods to enhance bicycle safety through the perspective of the two EU-funded projects of PHOEBE and JULIA. Aspects of both projects and their pilot implementations and tests in the two Spanish cities of Valencia and Barcelona were discussed. These presentations were put into a wider context related to the current road safety challenges in Europe.
Comune di Bologna has recently published a Report on the first year of implementing the 30 km/h speed limit in the city, which has the main objective of the improvement of road safety and the increase of sustainable mobility. This Report showed that for the first time since 1991, no pedestrians were killed, and road deaths were reduced by 50%. Also, crashes were reduced by 13% and urban traffic pollution by 30%. Finally, the report indicated that there has been a significant increase in bicycle flows by 10%, as well as the use of car and bike sharing services.
Fruitful discussions with NTUA Professor George Yannis, Deputy Mayor for Ecological Transition, Ana Lisa Boni and Deputy Mayor for Sports, Luca Bellinato took recently place, demonstrating the need to intensify efforts for lower speeds and safer roads everywhere and for all.
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. 
The European Union has recently adopted the new Directive to strengthen cross-border enforcement of road traffic rules. The newly adopted rules tackle several road safety issues by enhancing collaboration among Member States, streamlining offender identification and facilitating fine enforcement. Cooperation between national Authorities will not only focus on the most common and serious offenses like speeding, drunk and drugged driving, but also on several other hazardous behaviours.
POLIS, the European Cities Network, is organizing the 2025 Annual Polis Conference which will take place in Utrecht, Netherlands, on 26-27 November 2025. The POLIS Annual Conference is Europe’s leading sustainable urban mobility event, providing an opportunity for cities and regions to showcase their transport achievements, including recent safety developments, to a large audience of mobility experts, practitioners, and decision-makers from both the public and private sector. Urban Road Safety is a key conference priority. Researchers can submit their proposals until 25 April 2025.
The Université Gustave Eiffel (UGE) in cooperation with the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 are organizing the SaNuiT International Symposium which will take place in Montreal, Canada on 8-9 May 2025, in the context of the 92th Congres Acfas. This conference will focus on good practices and best strategies to reduce the impact of socio-territorial inequalities on road accident injuries. Researchers can submit their proposals until 14 February 2025, by email to the following email address: mouloud.haddak@univ-eiffel.fr.
The International Road Traffic and Accident Database (IRTAD) of the International Transport Forum (ITF/OECD) published the Road Safety Annual Report 2024, on the development of road safety in 2023. It is based on data from 40 IRTAD member countries, with some preliminary data also for the year 2024. The main findings revealed that in 2023, there were 2.338 less fatalities than in 2022, also road deaths decreased by 2% in the first half of 2024 compared to 2023. However, the considerable journey ahead should be acknowledged, in order to achieve the global target of halving road deaths and serious injuries by 2030.
FPZ in cooperation with AMAC-FSC, Croatian Chamber of Transport Engineers and HoMe – Hochschule are organizing the International Conference – The Science and Development of Transport (TRANSCODE 2025) which will take place in Zagreb, Croatia on 11-12 December 2025, under the theme “The New Era of Transport & Logistics: Balancing Technology, Sustainability and Accessibility “. This Conference is one of the region’s leading conferences in transport and logistics with international recognition and provides the added value of networking, promoting new solutions and ideas, and strengthening one’s position in a professional environment. Researchers can submit their papers until 15 May 2025.
The Hellenic Institute of Transportation Engineers (HITE) organized with great success the Transportation Engineers Workshop 2025 which took place on 27 January 2025, in Athens. The aim of the Workshop was to discuss the main issues concerning transportation in Greece and urban mobility in Attica, presenting the current situation, analysing future trends and exploring the new challenges for the development of the transportation system. New ideas emerged and innovative discussions took place towards more modern, reliable and safe mobility everywhere for all. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The Hellenic Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport in cooperation with the Municipality of Agia Paraskevi and the Association of Police Officers of Northeast Attica organized with great success the “City 30 and the New Road Traffic Code” 1st Road Safety Workshop on 16 January 2025, in Athens. The main focuses of this event included information on the new regulations, as well as good practices to enhance road safety. The workshop was targeted at the general public, with the aim of raising awareness of road safety, reducing road accidents and creating more sustainable and safer urban areas. NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
NTUA actively contributed with the following presentation:
The Association for European Transport is organizing the 53rd European Transport Conference which will take place in Antwerp, Belgium on 17-19 September 2025. This Conference provides an excellent opportunity for the exchange of ideas, experiences, and solutions among the academic community, professionals, and policymakers. The conference will address local, national, and international issues, focusing on defining, planning, and delivering solutions across all levels and modes of transport. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 7 February 2025. 
The European Platform of Transport Sciences (EPTS) is organizing the 23rd European Transport Congress which will be held in Paris, France on 26-27 June 2025, under the theme “Future of European transport : infrastructure, service and technologies”. Every year, this Congress brings together transport researchers from all disciplines and from all over Europe. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 31 January 2025.
The European Commission with the active contribution of NTUA, SWOV, VIAS Institute and KFV has published at the European Road Safety Observatory, the Personal Mobility Devices Thematic Report which mainly refers to the safety of electric scooters. This Thematic Report highlights that a high proportion of crashes with a PMD are caused by falls, that can lead to common head injuries and by increasing helmet use would prevent these injuries. Moreover, a series of specific countermeasures are suggested, such as an e-scooters ban from pavements, a lower 30 km/h limit in urban areas and training motor vehicle users to be prepared to interact with PMDs is equally important for micro-mobility safety.
A paper titled Driving Automation Systems Penetration and Traffic Safety: Implications for Infrastructure Design and Policy authored by Antonia Antonakaki, Maria Oikonomou, Thodoris Garefalakis and George Yannis has been published in Infrastructures. The study aims to evaluate the impact of Autonomous Vehicle (AV) penetration rates on traffic safety, through the use of microscopic simulation scenarios, utilizing multiple linear and multinomial logistic regression models. The findings highlight that higher AV penetration rates generally improve traffic safety, although the coexistence of conventional vehicles and vehicles equipped with driving automation systems introduces traffic heterogeneity, potentially influencing safety outcomes. These results suggest that while AVs have a positive effect on road safety, further analysis is needed to address the complexities introduced by mixed-traffic conditions.
DRI investment management in cooperation with the Slovenian National Building and Civil Engineering Institute (ZAG) and the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering (FGG) are organizing the 12th International Conference on Bearing Capacity of Roads, Railways, and Airfields (12 BCRRA 2026) which will take place in Ljubljana, Slovenia on 22-24 June 2026. The main objective of this conference is to promote efficient design, construction and maintenance of transport infrastructure by addressing issues related to bearing capacity problems of roads, railways and airfields. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 24 March 2025.
The MobiLab Transport Research Group of the University of Luxembourg together with the EEE ITSS Benelux Chapter are organizing the 9th International Conference on Models and Technologies for Intelligent Transportation Systems (MT-ITS 2025) which will be held in Luxembourg on 8-10 September 2025. This conference is a unique event where academia and practice meet and exchange ideas and results. Researchers can submit their abstracts until 1 March 2025.
A paper titled Explainable macroscopic and microscopic influences of COVID-19 on naturalistic driver aggressiveness derived from telematics through SHAP values of SVM and XGBoost algorithms authored by Apostolos Ziakopoulos, Marios Sekadakis, Christos Katrakazas, Marianthi Kallidoni, Eva Michelaraki and George Yannis has been published in Journal of Safety Research. This study aims to quantify the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on driver behavior as expressed by harsh accelerations (HA) measured from over 35,5000 naturalistic driving trips by smartphone telematics data using advanced machine learning algorithms, including SVM and XGBoost, combined with SHAP values. Key findings indicate that high speeding, total trip distance, and trip duration are associated with increased HA counts. Drivers perform more HAs on speeds between 30–50 km/h, while after 50 km/h, the contributions of speed lead to fewer HAs.
The European Association of Operators of Toll Road Infrastructures (ASECAP) together with APCAP organized with great success the 17th ASECAP Road Safety Conference which was held in Cascais, Portugal on 11 March 2025. The conference addressed critical topics shaping the future of road safety. It explored innovative measures to prevent ghost driver accidents, including advanced signage and ITS alert systems. The event also highlighted efficient systems and procedures to enhance staff safety and prevent workplace accidents.
CRC Press has recently published a book written by Peter Sweatman titled “Approaches to Road Safety: Evolution, Challenges, and Emerging Technologies”. It examines the evolution of safety practices, explores the role of emerging technologies such as connected and automated vehicles in achieving safer roads and highlights ongoing challenges in reducing traffic injuries and fatalities, including the strategies of Vision Zero and the safe system. Offering valuable insights, this book will appeal to professionals in the fields of safety, human factors, the automotive industry, traffic control, vehicle standards and regulations, transportation systems and road safety policy.
A new book titled Using Artificial Intelligence to Solve Transportation Problems edited by Aleksander Sładkowski has been recently published. This book offers a comprehensive exploration of AI and digitalization solutions for diverse transportation challenges. The monograph examines various problems in the transport industry that find their solutions using AI, from fully autonomous vehicles to the use of AI as an assistant in solving logistics problems, using different approaches that exist in different countries, with different levels of economic development or well-being of the population. NTUA actively contributed with the following chapter, co-authored by Apostolos Ziakopoulos and George Yannis:
