Category Archives: Safety

E-scooters are making their way into the accident statistics

In Sweden the number of accidents involving e-scooters has increased from a few in 2017 to almost 500 in 2019 (January - October). This was also when electric scooters really made their entrance into Sweden's largest cities. Since electric scooters, or e-scooters, are a fairly new phenomenon in...

Read more
Posted in Cycling, Safety | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on E-scooters are making their way into the accident statistics

Near accidents between pedestrians and cyclists much more frequent than actual collisions

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland studied near accidents and collisions between pedestrians and cyclists. According to the results, near accidents occur considerably more often than actual collisions, and pedestrians and cyclists experienced a lower sense of safety in environments with...

Read more
Posted in Cycling, Safety | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Near accidents between pedestrians and cyclists much more frequent than actual collisions

A new project aims to improve the safety of bus companies

The safety culture of the bus industry is the focus of a new research project at VTI. The aim is to study factors that affect safe and legal behaviour in traffic, and how such behaviour can be encouraged. The long-term and comprehensive road safety objective is to eliminate death and serious...

Read more
Posted in Passenger Transport, Policy and Planning, Safety | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on A new project aims to improve the safety of bus companies

The pedestrian perspective in two new VTI projects

Two projects focusing on safety for pedestrians have recently commenced at VTI: Smart Urban Traffic Zones and Safety for Pedestrians. There are links to the ongoing EU project VIRTUAL – for which Research Director Astrid Linder is the coordinator. Astrid welcomes the clear pedestrian...

Read more
Posted in Safety, Simulation | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on The pedestrian perspective in two new VTI projects

Impacts of connected and automated driving on national road authorities’ policy targets

The main purpose of this article is to summarize state of the art on the impacts of connected and automated driving (CAD) on travel demand, travel behavior, traffic flow, safety and energy (reported in MANTRA deliverable D3.1). The review is based on ongoing and recently completed EU and national...

Read more
Posted in Intelligent Transport Systems, Safety, Simulation, Traffic and Traffic Control | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Impacts of connected and automated driving on national road authorities’ policy targets

A driving licence withdrawal can have major consequences in everyday life

A withdrawn driving licence can have negative consequences for a person’s ability to shape their own life. A study from VTI investigates how individuals with visual field loss have been affected by no longer being permitted to drive. For a person with a driving licence and access to a car, a...

Read more
Posted in Human Behaviour and Attitudes, Safety | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on A driving licence withdrawal can have major consequences in everyday life

Measuring sleepiness – a challenge for researchers

Driver fatigue has been a research area at VTI for several years, and the researchers have studied various aspects such as the working hours of professional drivers, driver behaviour, accident risks, and the design of warning systems. They are now moving forward, attempting to find a way to...

Read more
Posted in Human Behaviour and Attitudes, Safety | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Measuring sleepiness – a challenge for researchers

Highway middle barriers substantially increase road safety

VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland investigated the safety effects of middle barriers on non-motorway highways in Finland. The results indicate that highway middle barriers greatly improve road safety and are particularly effective at reducing fatal accidents, with four in five such accidents...

Read more
Posted in Infrastructure, Safety, Traffic and Traffic Control | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Highway middle barriers substantially increase road safety

How vehicles can avoid accidents on newly paved roads

Friction is an important property for road safety. VTI has investigated how roads change in the first few weeks after surfacing work has been completed. Researchers recommend posting warning signs when the road is opened and waiting at least three weeks to measure the friction of the road. A few...

Read more
Posted in Maintenance, Safety | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on How vehicles can avoid accidents on newly paved roads

VTI contributes to study on older drivers and accidents

On behalf of and in collaboration with the Swedish Transport Agency, VTI has carried out a study of older drivers and the link between illness and traffic accidents. The Transport Agency has now published the results. The issue of periodic medical screening for older drivers does not need to be...

Read more
Posted in Safety | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on VTI contributes to study on older drivers and accidents