News

SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers University is proud to announce the commencement of its 6th stage, marking a new era of innovation and collaboration in the quest for safer road transport, worldwide. Today, on November 10, 2023, 45 SAFER partners decided upon an agreement to officially continue SAFER into its sixth stage.

Despite advancements in road safety, traffic-related deaths and injuries remain a global concern, affecting the daily lives of millions. Approximately 1.3 million people lose their lives in traffic each year. SAFER is committed to significantly reducing these numbers and enhancing road safety in various dimensions, by providing a scientific base for policy, legislation, products and services.

SAFER serves as a collaborative platform where partners from academia, industry, and government come together to share knowledge, conduct multidisciplinary research, and foster a safer road transport environment for all.

Stage 6 of SAFER aims to deepen research efforts and expand its system-oriented approach to road safety. This stage will focus on understanding human behavior, improving safety principles, predicting future trends, and developing safety solutions for products, services, and infrastructure.

Delivering value to partners
SAFER offers its partners a multitude benefits, including knowledge-building activities, networking opportunities, access to research findings and resources, co-creation events and collaborative projects, and access to national and international programs. SAFER's platform provides partners with a unified and credible channel for reaching specific target audiences, influencing policies, and connecting with decision-makers in politics and authorities.

Through SAFER, partners can also access internal funding opportunities for exploratory pre-studies and other idea exploration activities. This funding is further amplified within the project portfolio, providing valuable financial support for research initiatives.

Impact Areas and strategic focus
SAFER's mission aligns with the goals of creating a sustainable and safe mobility system that is safe, user-focused, inclusive, accessible to all, and climate-neutral. Stage 6 of SAFER is firmly rooted in the Vision Zero initiative to eliminate fatalities and injuries in the mobility system. In Stage 6, SAFER will concentrate on three primary impact areas:

• Human Body and Mind: Understanding human behavior and cognition in the context of road safety.
• Safety Performance Evaluation: Evaluating and improving the performance of safety measures.
• Safety Principles: Developing principles for safety in road safety-related products, services, and infrastructures.

To address the global challenges and focus on the Impact areas, SAFER will introduce working groups to serve as forums for inspiration, idea incubation, and focused discussions. These groups will address identified needs and foster collaboration within the research community.

Expanding new ideas with SAFER's Idea Exploration Program
As we embark on the upcoming stage, SAFER's idea exploration program takes center stage in fostering new ideas that have the potential to make our roads safer. This program will see further development, driving research activities aimed at saving lives in traffic. It encompasses for example pre-studies on emerging topics, the generation of knowledge, the development of proposals for national funding, and the completion of research publications.

Broad ecosystem and international collaborations
SAFER is an essential part of the research and innovation ecosystem around sustainable transport systems and smart cities. It facilitates collaboration across borders and between disciplines, providing partners with access to dynamic working groups, research resources, and dissemination channels.

While SAFER is based in Sweden, it maintains a global mindset with international partnerships and collaborative research initiatives. Stage 6 will further leverage the global ecosystem to enhance road safety efforts worldwide.

List of partners

• Aptiv
• Astus
• Asymptotic
• Autoliv Development
• BETA CAE Nordic
• Chalmers University of Technology
• Chalmers Industriteknik
• China Euro Vehicle Technology AB (CEVT)　
• Combitech
• Consenz International AB
• Cycleurope
• DuWill
• Einride Autonomous Technologies
• Folksam
• Guidance To Zero
• City of Gothenburg
• University of Gothenburg
• Halmstad University
• University of Skövde
• Hövding
• If Insurance
• Jönköping School of engineering
• Linköping University
• University of Lund
• Magna Electronics Sweden AB
• Malmeken
• Movens Research AB
• NTF Väst
• Pionate
• QualiSafe
• RISE
• Scania
• Smart Eye
• Strandroth Consulting
• Svanberg & Svanberg
• Swedish Transport Administration
• Swedish Transport Agency
• Viscando
• Volvo Car Corporation
• Volvo Group
• Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI)
• Univrses
• Zenseact