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SAFER, Lund University, and the City of Gothenburg are exploring the need for a new platform that connects research with municipalities’ real-world challenges. The goal is to better support the sustainability transition in cities and transport systems. To map needs and interest, we invite municipalities, regions, and other societal actors within traffic safety to respond to a short survey. Please

Our November newsletter is live with updates for anyone who wants to make the most of SAFER as a collaboration platform.

We are pleased to announce that three new projects have been approved within the SAFER Idea Exploration Program - our funding platform for nurturing cross-disciplinary ideas that can grow into strong future research initiatives. The program encourages collaboration across sectors and disciplines, creating fertile ground where innovative ideas take shape and new partnerships form. It is in this intersection –

In a new partner project within the SAFER platform, VTI is working to better understand how self-ratings of sleepiness affect drivers – and what this means for future driver monitoring systems. The project is called “The alerting effect of sleepiness self-ratings: Implications for GSR compliance and Driver Monitoring Systems”.

We are pleased to welcome I-AIMS2 – Impairment-Aware Intelligent Mobility System 2, a new partner project exploring how driver safety, well-being, and fuel efficiency can be enhanced through the use of artificial intelligence.

SAFER is entering a new phase in its organisational structure based on a three year agreement 2026-2028 – with a Steering Group now taking the lead in the strategic development of the collaboration platform.

We are proud to welcome five new organisations to SAFER’s collaboration platform – all joining forces for a safer and more sustainable transport system. “We are truly delighted to see SAFER’s network developing further. The more perspectives we bring to the table, the better equipped we are to handle the complex transformation needed for a safe and sustainable transport system,”

Imagine a future where cars, buses, and roads talk to each other – where traffic flows smoothly, safely, and sustainably. That future is coming closer thanks to a new European collaboration that the SAFER partner VTI is now part of: CCAMbassador.

How can we detect if a driver is under the influence – even when they try to hide it? That is the challenge at the heart of the new partner project Driver Impairment Multimodal Evaluation (DIME) . Led by the University of Gothenburg together with Smart Eye, DIME aims to develop next-generation technology for recognizing signs of impairment in drivers

Wearing a safety belt correctly is crucial for safety – even during pregnancy. Despite this, many pregnant women position the belt incorrectly, which can increase the risk of injury to both the mother and the unborn child in the event of a collision. To raise awareness, the National Society for Road Safety (NTF), in collaboration with researchers from Chalmers Industriteknik, Folksam, If, SAFER, SIS/TK 242, the Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket), and Volvo Cars, has developed a joint national recommendation for safety belt use during pregnancy.

Över 300 deltagare samlades på Lindholmen i Göteborg när Sveriges Trafiksäkerhetsdagar 2025 gick av stapeln – ett unikt tillfälle där hela trafiksäkerhets-Sverige möttes för att dela kunskap, nätverka och bredda perspektiven för ett säkrare samhälle.

We invite you to submit your abstract for the 10th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI2026), taking place in Gothenburg, Sweden, between 20–22 October 2026.

This edition covers: ✨ Newly launched partner projects 📅 Upcoming events and reports from recent activities 🌍 Opportunities to influence the next framework programme 💡 Our funding program – the SAFER Idea Exploration Program - now open for new ideas 🏢 …and yes – we are moving!

As part of the preparations for the next EU Framework Program, starting 2028, a joint proposal for an Automotive Partnership has been presented to the European Commission’s DG RTD, and SAFER partners are well represented.

How much can the human body withstand – and how can we design the transport system around those limits? That was the red thread during SAFER Research Day at Clarion The Pier, where researchers, authorities and industry met to discuss how new knowledge can be transformed into real road safety benefits.

How can we make our cities both safer and more sustainable? That’s the starting point for the new pre-study project SAFER Cities , where researchers and public sector actors join forces to explore how traffic safety can become an integrated part of the sustainable transformation of cities and regional transport systems. Traffic safety as a key to sustainable cities Municipalities

The project SAFE-FM: Safety-Enhanced and Physics-Informed Foundation Models of Vehicle Behavior aims to increase safety in future automated vehicles. By combining physics-based knowledge with artificial intelligence, new models will be developed to predict how vehicles behave in different traffic situations. This makes it possible to test and evaluate safety-critical scenarios through simulation, reducing the need for costly and time-consuming physical trials.

The new project Equal Safety for the Whole Population of Powered Two-Wheeler Riders, funded by VINNOVA, will develop new methods and tools to better understand injury risks and create effective protection systems for powered two- and three-wheeler riders. The focus is on variations in rider size, sex, posture, and vehicle types.

How can we save more lives after serious road crashes? The new project TEAPaN2 aims to answer that very question – by leveraging data from connected vehicles, individuals and the traffic environment to improve decision support for emergency operators and first responders. The goal is to reduce fatalities and serious injuries through faster, more accurate interventions.

That gap between trust and confusion is not just frustrating – it is a traffic safety issue. If drivers don’t understand or trust assistance systems, they deactivate them. And when systems are switched off, safety benefits are lost. This is where the new project Driver SUPPORTive INteraction and Improved User Experience comes in.

Congratulations to Lin Zhao, who successfully defended his PhD thesis “Remote Driving of Road Vehicles: Feedback Effects, Latency Compensation, and Driver Behavior” on 15 September at KTH, Stockholm.

This week we are proudly co-hosting the seventh edition of the Vision Zero International Course together with the Swedish Transport Administration at Lindholmen Science Park in Gothenburg.

The project, "Enhancing Safety of Automated Electric Vehicles through Motion-by-Wire," is developing an advanced control system where the vehicle is no longer steered through mechanical linkages, but entirely by digital signals – steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire. By smartly coordinating various components such as wheels, motors, and brakes, the vehicle will be able to perform rapid, controlled evasive manoeuvres if something unexpected happens – like a pedestrian suddenly stepping into the road.

The new FFI-funded project CONAI (ConAI: AI-based conversational agents that support drivers' understanding of ADAS and enhance traffic safety) takes on this challenge. By exploring how AI-based conversational agents can explain and support drivers – before, during, and after driving – the project aims to pave the way for safer and more frequent use of ADAS among a broader and more diverse group of drivers.

We are proud to announce the release of 180 new Pre-Crash Matrix (PCM) cases as part of our ongoing efforts to enhance global road safety through in-depth crash data analysis. These cases provide valuable insights into crash causation and vehicle dynamics in the moments leading up to the collision—supporting researchers, and traffic safety experts in developing effective countermeasures. A big

These groups serve as SAFER’s main arenas for inspiration, idea incubation, and strategic collaboration. They are open to all partner organisations, and offer a valuable opportunity to explore new insights, connect across disciplines, and jointly develop research initiatives – often leading to funded projects. Many also find the groups an effective way to bring new knowledge into their own organisation’s workstreams.

From January 2026, SAFER will relocate from Navet to new premises on the second floor of Kuggen at Lindholmen, a distinctive Chalmers building known for its bright and inspiring environment.

We are happy to announce the opening of a second call in SAFER's Idea Exploration program this year, aimed at project stimulation by using the benefits of our multi-disciplinary collaboration platform.

Welcome to read the first autumn newsletter!

We warmly invite nominations to SAFER's new streering group from across the partnership!

We hope you all had a wonderful and refreshing summer! As the autumn term begins, we look forward to a dynamic and engaging season filled with collaboration, creative idea generation, and shared knowledge-building in the field of traffic safety.

IGLAD is the "Initiative for the Global Harmonization of (in-depth) Accident Data" and is the only continuous international effort to provide a database of in-depth accident data from different countries around the world within a unified data scheme. Data from traffic safety researchers from Europe, North America, South America, Asia, and Australia is merged on a yearly basis into the

This project takes a comprehensive approach to ensure that C-ITS can be deployed safely, securely and effectively in Sweden.

Using smart 3D-based sensors embedded in the infrastructure, this project detects and analyses road user behaviour to identify what causes danger at these junctions. The goal is to develop a method that recognises risky patterns early and gives traffic authorities the tools to intervene proactively, both for existing and future roads. This is about turning data into insights – and insights into action – for areas that are often overlooked, yet critical to road safety.

Den 4 mars 2026 är det dags igen! Barn, Liv och Trafik samlar yrkesverksamma, forskare och beslutsfattare för en heldag om barn och ungas trafikvardag.

ComCy – Comfortable Overtaking of Cyclists on Rural Roads is a newly launched initiative funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s innovation agency, with the goal of improving overtaking behaviour by drivers on rural roads. The vision is clear: safer and more comfortable conditions will make rural cycling a viable and attractive option – leading to more sustainable mobility and healthier communities.

Lindholmen has long been a place where ideas, people and technology come together. Now, the area is shifting gears – from being a science park to becoming a full-scale innovation district. This means the place itself – with companies, research, education, housing, restaurants, culture and much more – is seen as one cohesive environment where collaboration is at the core.

The project, “Safe System Principles for MC”, is based on the recognition that the global goal to halve the number of traffic fatalities and serious injuries cannot be achieved without dedicated efforts to improve motorcycle safety. With a global perspective, the project will identify the necessary requirements for vehicles, road infrastructure, protective equipment, and speed limits to ensure a genuinely safe environment for riders.

Building on a previous study that analysed 34 different speed-reducing designs in southern Sweden using drone footage and video tracking, this project will now take a deeper look into why some solutions work better than others. The earlier study found significant differences in effectiveness – even among similar designs.

Our agenda for the autumn is taking shape, and we look forward to another inspiring season together! Almost every Thursday, we at SAFER gather for a joint networking lunch followed by an engaging seminar – all linked to our shared ambition of achieving a safe transport system for all.

A new Horizon Europe project, IMPROVA – Injury Mitigation to PROmote Vision-zero Achievement, is now underway with the goal of addressing one of road safety’s most overlooked areas: the long-term consequences (LTC) of traffic accidents.

How can municipalities, often the closest authority to citizens’ everyday lives, take a more systematic and proactive role in improving traffic safety? That is one of the key questions addressed in the newly launched partner project “Systematic Traffic Safety Implementation at the Local Level: Trafiksäkerhetslyftet and Traffic Safety Culture in Municipalities”, now part of SAFER’s partners' research portfolio.

Today we wrapped up the final SAFER Research Day of the term – and what a day it was! The spotlight was on how we can generate even greater impact with Connected, Cooperative and Automated Mobility (CCAM) – and how the SAFER platform can continue to act as a catalyst for collaboration, knowledge and real societal benefit. Ingrid Skogsmo opened

This spring’s call for proposals to SAFER’s Idea Exploration Program received an overwhelming response – with 16 applications submitted! We are now happy to announce that five promising projects have been granted funding to explore new research ideas and strengthen collaboration for safer road transport.

Catch up on everything that has been going on at SAFER this spring — new partner projects, fresh podcast episodes, and upcoming events, including Sweden’s Road Safety Days this autumn.

How can we ensure that Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) are used effectively in real-world conditions? That was the central question at SAFER’s Research Day on 6 May, themed "ADAS & Human Interaction – Unlocking the Full Potential", which brought together more than 120 participants at Clarion Hotel Karlatornet in Gothenburg and online.

Den 21 oktober 2025 samlas vi på Lindholmen Science Park i Göteborg för Sveriges Trafiksäkerhetsdagar - en unik mötesplats för alla som brinner för säker mobilitet. Med SAFER som värd och i samverkan med Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner (SKR) och Trafikverket förenar vi krafter för att skapa en dag fylld av dialog, samskapande och inspiration för att skapa verklig förändring

On April 29, experts gathered at Lindholmen Science Park to highlight the life-saving importance of correct safety belt use during pregnancy. With more than 50 years of crash research behind us, the evidence is clear: the safety belt – correctly positioned – remains the most critical protection system in the car, helping to reduce injury risk for both the mother and the unborn child in all types of collisions.

We warmly congratulate Ali Mohammadi on successfully defending his doctoral thesis “Computational models for safe interactions between automated vehicles and cyclists” at Chalmers University of Technology.

This new project is developing and testing an AI-based tool to help municipalities systematically assess the condition of walking and cycling infrastructure and identify where maintenance is needed. The goal? To make it easier, smarter and more cost-efficient for cities to maintain the paths that support safe and sustainable mobility.