A paper titled ‘Acceptability of rider assistive systems for powered two-wheelers‘ co-authored by V.Beanland, M.Lenné, E.Fuessl, M.Oberlader, S.Joshi, T.Bellet, A.Banet, L.Rößger, L.Leden, I.Spyropoulou, G.Yannis, H.Roebroeck, J.Carvalhais and G.Underwood is now published in Transportation Research Part F: Traffic Psychology and Behaviour. This study aims to understand general and system-specific factors that are likely to influence acceptability of PTW assistive systems, including barriers that may prevent uptake and proper use of systems, through a large-scale survey of European riders. The survey was available in seven languages and attracted 6297 respondents. Respondents were frequent riders, who rode primarily for leisure purposes and had high awareness of assistive systems. Overall acceptability was low, but riders who perceive greater risk in riding display higher acceptability. In general, riders believe that existing safety equipment (e.g., helmets, protective clothing) is more reliable, provides greater resistance, and is considerably cheaper than more sophisticated assistive technology. 

A new campaign to reduce road casualties by promoting use of motorcycle helmets has been launched on the island of Crete by Make Roads Safe Hellas with the support of the FIA Foundation, as the first European programme of the Global Helmet Vaccine Initiative. This campaign has been preseneted at a conference held on the 24th of March 2011 at the Centre for Mediterranean Architecture in Chania. 

A paper titled “Older Drivers’ Perception and Acceptance of In-Vehicle Devices for Traffic Safety and Traffic Efficiency” co-authored by G.Yannis, C.Antoniou, S.Vardaki and G.Kanellaidis was published in ASCE Journal of Transportation Engineering. A multitude of new technologies are emerging, many of which are either explicitly targeted to older drivers or expected to benefit them the most. However, these same older drivers are more likely to find adapting to the use of such technologies challenging. Therefore, understanding older drivers’ perception of such devices will allow experts to take the necessary steps to ensure their smoother acceptance and complete success of their deployment. Older respondents are, in general, more supportive of the considered in-vehicle technologies, while female respondents also show a higher willingness to adopt them. 

Vehicle Safety has been highlighted at the recently released synthesis of the European Road Safety Observatory as prepared by the SafetyNet project. Improving vehicle safety is a key strategy used in addressing international and national road casualty reduction targets and in achieving a safer road traffic system. Vehicle safety addresses the safety of all road users and currently comprises measures to help crash avoidance and crash protection. Substantial and evidence-based improvements have been made in the last 15 years and research has identified large scope for enhancing vehicle safety further. 

eSafety is defined as a vehicle-based intelligent safety systems which could improve road safety in terms of exposure, crash avoidance, injury reduction and post-crash phases. eSafety has been analysed at the recently released synthesis of the European Road Safety Observatory as prepared by the SafetyNet project. The evaluation of eSafety measures is a young science. However, research in the EU and elsewhere has confirmed that the following measures could make a large contribution to efforts to meet ambitious safety targets. the EU and Member States should establish a monitoring system to evaluate the design, development and implementation of new in-vehicle technologies and their short, medium, and long-term impacts on road safety.