News

Strong engagement and collaboration to shape the future of traffic safety

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.

The level of creativity and commitment from SAFER’s working groups has been truly impressive. This is exactly what SAFER is all about – a platform for co-creating knowledge and innovation to tackle urgent traffic safety challenges together.

We are also excited to share that a new call will open this autumn, inviting even more bold ideas and joint initiatives. Below, you can find a short summary of the selected projects – and we look forward to following their progress!

CoDeSafe - Continuous Deployment methodologies and Safety Case generation 
The rapid shift toward software-defined vehicles is creating new demands for how safety-critical functions are developed, verified, and updated. In a new pre-study within SAFER, researchers and industry partners are now exploring how principles from Continuous Integration and Continuous Deployment (CI/CD) can be adapted to enable efficient and safe software updates in vehicles, where each new version is accompanied by an automatically generated and valid safety case.

The aim is to pave the way for a larger Vinnova-funded research initiative focused on automated safety assurance integrated into continuous development workflows. This pre-study will review the current state of technology and industrial practices, identify research gaps, and develop a proof of concept demonstrating how safety cases can be generated and managed across multiple development steps.

The project addresses one of the most pressing challenges in the automotive domain: how to combine rapid, iterative software development with the stringent safety requirements of advanced vehicle systems. The results could help strengthen Sweden’s innovation capacity and leadership in the transformation toward future mobility.

SAFER Partners: Volvo Cars, Zenseact, Astus 

Whiplash Injuries in Frontal Crashes
While fatal crashes often draw the most attention, non-fatal injuries make up the overwhelming majority of road traffic trauma – and many of these can lead to long-term suffering and impairment. Among the most common and impactful are minor cervical spine injuries (AIS1), which carry a surprisingly high risk of long-term consequences. A new SAFER partner project is now taking a closer look at whiplash injuries in frontal collisions – an area that has received significantly less attention than rear-end crashes, despite its high frequency.

The project aims to better understand the scope, risk patterns, and long-term effects of neck injuries in frontal crashes. It will combine international in-depth crash data from GIDAS with Swedish injury statistics and follow-up data on permanent medical impairment. In addition, a comprehensive literature review will be conducted, covering injury mechanisms, field studies, and available tools for injury assessment – such as Human Body Models and evaluation of existing crash avoidance systems.

The expected outcome is a clear picture of how common and serious whiplash injuries in frontal crashes actually are, who is most at risk, and how knowledge gaps can be closed. This will form the basis for a proposal for a larger follow-up project focused on protective principles and countermeasures to reduce the risk of whiplash in frontal collisions.

SAFER Partners: Chalmers, Volvo Cars, Folksam, Transportstyrelsen, Autoliv

In-vehicle detection of alcohol and drug impaired drivers
Alcohol and drug-impaired driving remains one of the most serious threats to road safety, contributing to approximately 25% of traffic fatalities in Sweden. To address this, a new SAFER pre-study aims to prepare the ground for future in-vehicle systems that can detect impairment without relying on intrusive technologies like interlocks.

The project focuses on consolidating knowledge from recent alcohol detection studies in Sweden and planning for advanced data collection involving both alcohol and drugs, such as cannabis. Key activities include a literature review on simulator and track-based studies, workshops to share lessons learned and design optimal experiments, and an investigation into the permits and ethical approvals needed for testing.

The expected results include recommendations on relevant metrics (e.g., gaze, steering), a proposed experimental setup, and a roadmap for future research. Ultimately, the project will support the development of intelligent driver monitoring systems that can detect impairment in real time and help prevent crashes – directly contributing to SAFER’s vision of a road transport system safe for all.

SAFER Partners: VTI, Magna, Smart Eye, Volvo Cars. Volvo Group

Acceptance for use of Safety Technology AuST
Advanced safety features in modern trucks have the potential to significantly reduce accidents and save lives – but only if they are understood, accepted, and used. A new SAFER pre-study now sets out to map how safety-supporting technologies are perceived and used by both fleet managers and drivers in the transport sector.

Building on insights from a recent industry workshop, the project will conduct surveys and interviews to explore current knowledge, attitudes, and acceptance related to systems such as geofencing, speed control, and seatbelt reminders. The study aims to uncover barriers to effective use and identify strategies for improving uptake and trust in these technologies.

The results will be compiled in a report and discussed in SAFER seminars to spark dialogue between technology developers, researchers, and end users. In the long term, the project will support more effective implementation of safety technologies and strengthen SAFER’s role in bridging the gap between innovation and real-world use.

SAFER Partners: Scania and Guidance To Zero

Evaluation of real-world safety performance of AEBS on HGVs – Review of data and methodology
Since 2015, Advanced Emergency Braking Systems (AEBS) have been mandatory on heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) in Europe. These systems can automatically brake if the driver doesn’t respond in time – potentially saving lives and reducing severe crashes. But despite their importance, no comprehensive studies have yet evaluated AEBS performance in real-world truck crashes.

A new SAFER pre-study aims to fill that gap by developing a framework for evaluating the real-world safety impact of AEBS in HGVs. The project brings together experts on crash data, insurance claims, vehicle technology, and evaluation methodology to map available data sources and identify suitable approaches for robust analysis.

The outcome will be a structured review and a proposed evaluation method, laying the groundwork for a future full-scale research project. With HGVs now being included in Euro NCAP’s testing protocols, this work is timely and relevant.

By improving our understanding of active safety system performance in trucks, this initiative supports SAFER’s mission to enhance road safety for all road users.

SAFER Partners: Volvo Group, AstaZero, Chalmers, Combitech, Folksam, If, Scania, Terranet, Trafikverket, VTI