VRUITS - Improving the Safety and Mobility of Vulnerable Road Users through ITS applications
Overview
Background & policy context:
During the last years, major steps have been made to increase road safety and the number of fatalities in the EU has decreased overall. The use of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) has largely facilitated this decrease. However, Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), such as pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, moped riders, have not enjoyed the decrease in fatalities experienced by other traffic participants.
Objectives:
The VRUITS has the following main objectives:
- Assess societal impacts of selected ITS, and provide recommendations for policy and industry regarding ITS in order to improve the safety and mobility of VRUs;
- Provide evidence-based recommended practices on how VRU can be integrated in Intelligent Transport Systems and on how HMI designs can be adapted to meet the needs of VRUs, and test these recommendations in field trials.
Methodology:
Starting from accident data, the most critical scenarios for road users and the needs of the different stakeholders are identified. Methods, which have been developed for vehicle safety applications assessment, are adapted to take the specific characteristics of vulnerable road users.
The most potential applications for improving VRU safety and mobility are selected, and a qualitative and quantitative safety and mobility & comfort assessment is performed, as well as a cost-benefit assessment.
Research is performed on how VRUs can be integrated in cooperative traffic systems, and how the user interaction for Vulnerable Road users can be improved.
Trials of selected applications are performed in the Netherlands, with the emphasis on cyclists, and in Spain, with the emphasis on pedestrians.
Based on the results of the assessment and the evaluation results of the trials, recommendations are made for actions at policy level to improve VRUs’ safety and mobility.
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