Future mobility: keeping all road users safe
Originally published on the CORDIS website.
An EU-funded project has developed new technologies, as well as testing and assessment methods, to help ensure the safety of future mobility.
The EU has pledged to achieve zero road fatalities by 2050. However, as traffic levels recovered following the pandemic, road deaths in 2022 rose by 3 % on the previous year and progress on road safety has been slow. Connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) could help to significantly reduce the incidence of serious injuries and fatalities. However, robust and holistic solutions that integrate safety measures targeting all road users are needed.
This is where the EU-funded SAFE-UP project stepped in. “We aimed to contribute to the EU’s Vision Zero by understanding and reducing current and future road crashes through vehicle automation, connectivity, and improved occupant protection. SAFE-UP helped to anticipate these upcoming road safety challenges by identifying and analysing future safety-critical scenarios and developing new safety tools and technologies for all road users, leveraging the perceived benefits of automation,” explains Nuria Parera, project coordinator.
Moving away from a traditional approach
“Instead of using the traditional approach of post-collision analysis, SAFE-UP proactively modelled and analysed safety-critical scenarios in a highly automated and mixed-traffic environment. This was done by integrating traffic accident data and anticipated future traffic conditions with innovative safety metrics and sub-microscopic models within a traffic simulation platform,” notes Parera. To achieve this, cutting-edge safety metrics were developed to detect safety-critical scenarios, and the creation of realistic road user models were seamlessly integrated into Aimsun’s next environment.
“This digital twin enabled us to scrutinise the impact of integrating AVs into traffic and evaluating potential safety-critical scenarios that might arise in the future, involving various road users, environments, and vehicles,” adds Parera.
Based on the scenarios identified during the project, pioneering safety technologies for both active and passive safety systems were developed. These resulted in four demonstrations. To authenticate and demonstrate the overall advantages of the developed technologies, innovative safety assessment tools and methodologies were designed concurrently, utilising both virtual and physical tools.
Paving the way for safer roads
A key final result of the project was the successful realisation of the scenarios defined at the project's inception, using the technologies developed throughout its course. “All demonstrations were showcased at the final event, where attendees could observe firsthand how these technologies addressed the principal challenges, illustrating their efficacy. Our findings were also shared with the European New Car Assessment Programme, and the deliverables were received with positivity and heightened interest, especially in relation to some of the testing activities executed during the project,” highlights Parera.
Another significant outcome was the formulation of training and awareness strategies. Material highlighting essential safety messages was disseminated, and knowledge transfer workshops were conducted. “All this information is accessible in our Knowledge Centre. An equally important achievement is the e-learning platform we developed, designed to broaden our reach and elevate awareness concerning road safety for all road users, including autonomous vehicles.
As for the next steps, Parera concludes: “The consortium has identified several topics related to the project that necessitate additional research and development, particularly the platform used to define safety-critical scenarios. We aspire to venture into new domains and foster collaborations on this subject in forthcoming projects.”
