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The annual traffic safety conference in Tylösand, Sweden, September 4-5 is an important part of Sweden's successful traffic safety work. This year, SAFER Vehicle and Traffic safety Centre has several presentations in the program where recent research and knowledge are shared with the traffic safety community on site at the event.

MeBeSafe - Subconsciously affecting road users
Nudging can affect people's choices, for example of which food to choose in the restaurant, but how the theory can be used to improve road safety? SAFER’s competence area leader MariAnne Karlsson will present MeBeSafe, a project where different nudging measures will be tested for the purpose of changing road user’s behavior in some specific traffic situations. It's about "nudging", giving drivers and cyclists an advise of an appropriate speed, and for example, focusing attention in the right direction, in a way that does not require thoughtful thinking. The seminar highlights how nudging can be an effective method and what different experiences the researchers have learnt to date.
 
“The seminar in Tylösand is inspiring, and important," says Magnus Granström, SAFER's director.
“Spreading knowledge is one of our cornerstones, and in Tylösand there is an opportunity for creative dialogues, knowledge exchange and discussion of continued development of traffic safety in Sweden. It's pleasing that several of SAFER's partners present at the seminar. I do look forward to inspirational days”, Magnus says.

Measures to save lives in case of accidents with better information flow
Magnus Granström will present how a collaborative research platform like SAFER can speed up the development of technology that requires collaboration between different actors in the society. In today's and future systems with more and more connected individuals and vehicles, new opportunities are created for increased road safety by being able to detect, handle and warn for potential incidents, for example, accidents, animals on the road or disease cases. Magnus tells more:

"This requires deep interaction between actors. Open interfaces and well-defined communication system requirements and information facilitates real-time risk warnings, increased accuracy in efforts, quality assurance with the objective to reduce fatalaties and injury rate. At the seminar we will show how this can be done in practice”.

The Swedish Transport Administration provides a status report and proposals for measures
Matteo Rizzi, the Swedish Transport Administration, and member of SAFER’s management team, and Maria Krafft, member of the Board Board in SAFER, give an overview of the road safety situation in Sweden in 2017 and discusses how we can achieve Sweden’s road safety goals. Prioritized actions will be presented, and these are urgent to implement to have a chance to reach the objectives stated in Vision Zero. Speed compliance through procurement, leadership's responsibility for business transport and accelerating the introduction of new technologies already available are measures that have great potential.

Many SAFER partners present at the event
Representatives from other SAFER partners also present at the conference; among others Åsa Forsman at VTI, who presents research about use of alcolocks after drunk driving. Anna Anund, also from VTI, shows research on how vehicles with automated functions can know how the driver’s state and wellbeing. Scania presents geofencing technology and Folksam's test for how rusty cars affect safety will also be presented. Folksam, like TØI, presents research on the safety of electric cycles.

Also, Jan Hellåker from Drive Sweden is on site and tells about self-driving cars. Drive Sweden is a national Strategic Innovation Program, in order to create future mobility based on connected, self-propelled and shared vehicles.

Main National Road Safety Conference
The Tylösand Seminar, organized by MHF, is an annual traffic safety seminar. The first occasion was arranged in 1957, so it has become a well-established tradition in Tylösand during the autumns. During these years, the seminar has evolved into becoming an important part of Sweden's successful road safety work. The Tylösand Seminar is attracting anyone who is working with traffic safety issues; politicians, researchers and other actors. The Tylösand Seminar also offers many opportunities for informal contacts with key people working in the area of traffic safety.