News

 

Sharing life-saving knowledge: Correct safety belt use during pregnancy

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.

Congratulations, Dr. Ali Mohammadi!

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.

Meet STIG – the smart new project sweeping the way for safer walking and cycling paths

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.

April edition of the newsletter is out

Welcome to explore our latest newsletter! Here you can get to know about our partners latest projects and opportunities for co-creation and learning. April newsletter!

SAFER Partner Day 2025 – Thank you for a truly valuable day!

Last week, SAFER hosted our annual Partner Day, where we gathered to reflect on the year’s achievements and progress across our collaborative research community.

New PhD in the SAFER community: Congratulations Xiaomi Yang!

We are proud to welcome a new PhD graduate to the SAFER community — Dr. Xiaomi Yang , who successfully defended her thesis on March 31, 2025, at Chalmers University of Technology. Her thesis, titled “Improving Pre-Crash Safety Systems: Using Computational Driver Behavior Models and Efficient Sampling Methods” , presents cutting-edge research on how to improve the efficiency and realism

Five new partners join SAFER to contribute to safer road transport

SAFER continues to grow as a neutral platform for world-leading traffic safety research. We are excited to welcome Amparo solutions , Innobrain, IPG Automotive, Mittlogik and Terranet, as new partners. Magnus Granström, Director of SAFER, comments: "We are very happy to welcome these new partners and to leverage their expertise. To meet national road safety tagets, it is crucial that

SAFER Annual Report 2024 is here – our first year in Stage 6 summarised!

We are proud to launch SAFER’s first annual report in Stage 6, reflecting on a year of renewal, deeper collaboration, and a sharpened focus on the future of traffic safety research. 2024 marked the beginning of a new and exciting chapter for our community – with strategic shifts and fresh ways of working.

New partner project in SAFER’s portfolio: Employers in focus for improved road safety

Nearly half of all fatal road traffic accidents are work-related – meaning that one of the individuals involved was either on duty or commuting to or from work. Despite this, road safety remains an under prioritised aspect of occupational health and safety in many workplaces. The new project “Safe Travel at Work” aims to change that.

Congratulations to Erik Brynskog – new Chalmers Doctor in Vehicle Safety!

Today, Erik Brynskog successfully defended his thesis and can now call himself a Doctor at Chalmers University of Technology! A big congratulations from the entire SAFER community!

Congratulations to Dr Magnus Gyllenhammar! 

We at SAFER extend our warmest congratulations to Magnus Gyllenhammar (KTH & Zenseact), who successfully defended his PhD thesis yesterday! His dissertation, "Safety Assurance Strategies for Automated Driving Systems" , tackles key challenges in proving the safety of self-driving vehicles. Magnus has developed innovative methods to address uncertainties and complexity in autonomous systems using quantitative risk norms and precautionary safety

SAFER Newsletter for March

Stay updated with the latest from SAFER! In our fresh newsletter, we highlight several new partner projects, this spring’s collaborative agenda, and key activities in our platform.

Call for ideas to SAFER’s Idea Exploration program!

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

Registration to the 2025 edition of the Vision Zero International Course now is open!

We are happy to announce that the registration to the 2025 edition of the Vision Zero International Course now is open! Road traffic injuries are a global epidemic that is recognized by the international community and is a part of the 2030 Agenda and the United Nations sustainable development goals (SDGs). In 1997, the Swedish Parliament adopted a ‘Vision Zero’

Safer and more comfortable seat belts for all – a collaborative project

SAFER partners are now launching an exciting new project: Safe and Comfortable Seat Belts for All. Through collaboration between Volvo Cars, Autoliv, and Chalmers, the project aims to generate new knowledge on how seat belts can be better adapted to a diverse range of passengers and seating postures – a crucial step toward safer and more inclusive mobility.

Who’s watching? Let’s keep it Safe – The GUARD project

Ever wondered how much data our smart technologies collect? And how safe it is? With data being the new “gold” for future mobility and AI, keeping it private and secure has never been more important. That is where the new partner project at SAFER; GUARD - GUarding Anonymization pRoceDures - steps in!

Hospital reporting to STRADA – a vital missing piece?

What happens when crucial information about traffic injuries doesn't reach its destination? During the Covid pandemic, hospital reporting to STRADA dropped dramatically – and in some cases, it still has not recovered. Now, VTI is launching a new research project, funded by Skyltfonden, the Swedish Transport Administration, to understand why reporting has faltered and what can be done to address the issue.

The depot of the future: Where buses get smarter and safer

Imagine a bustling bus depot where electric and automated buses glide seamlessly into place, guided not by drivers but by cutting-edge infrastructure-based automation. No chaos, no delays - just precision, safety, and sustainability. This vision is becoming a reality through the new project Depot for Electrified and Automated Buses (DEPAUT), a feasibility study led by RISE, in collaboration with Unikie

Adaptive Interventions for Impaired Driving – a new SAFER partner project

Every year, tragic fatal accidents occur on the roads where drivers are impaired by fatigue, distraction, or alcohol and drugs. But what if vehicles could adapt to the driver's condition and intervene before it's too late? This is exactly what the new research project ADAPTIN – Adaptive Interventions for Impaired Driving aims to solve!

New partner project at SAFER: More effective braking for safer cycling

The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) has revolutionized vehicle safety by preventing wheel lock-up during hard braking, allowing drivers to maintain control and reduce stopping distances. Now, it’s time for cyclists to benefit from the same technology. At SAFER, we are excited to welcome a new partner project exploring how ABS can reduce cycling accidents and enhance the overall riding experience

Research to unveil why 30 km/h is crucial in urban environments

Despite long-standing recommendations to implement a 30 km/h speed limit in areas where vulnerable road users are present, many Swedish municipalities have yet to take action. Now, Folksam, together with VTI and the Swedish Transport Administration, is launching a new research project to understand the reasons behind this inaction and to provide municipalities with the evidence they need to make informed decisions.

Congratulations to Amna Pir Muhammad – now a SAFER Doctor!

SAFER warmly congratulates Amna Pir Muhammad on successfully defending her PhD thesis, Bridging Worlds: Integrating Human Factors in Agile Automated Vehicle Development , on January 21, 2025. Amna, a doctoral student at the Department of Interaction Design and Software Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology, has focused her research on integrating human factors into the agile development of automated vehicles

Transportforum 2025: Highlights and insights

Transportforum 2025 brought together over 1,400 participants on January 15–16 in Linköping, featuring an extensive program of sessions and workshops.

The first SAFER Newsletter of the year is here!

We are excited to share the first SAFER newsletter of the year with you! Dive into the details of our upcoming spring events, discover insights about newly launched projects, and enjoy some news from the SAFER community. Among the highlights: SAFER is proud to announce that we will host the next national traffic safety conference in October. Our annual partner

New working group for Connected Safety

We are pleased to invite you to the kickoff of a new working group at SAFER: Connected Safety . Everyone interested in this topic is warmly welcome to join! The group will be led by Jesper Blidkvist (AstaZero) and Hui Chen (Chalmers), and we will begin with a workshop on February 3rd at Lindholmen. The goal of this group is

Welcome back!

We are thrilled to kick off another exciting term with all our partners! We hope you had a restful and inspiring holiday season and are as eager as we are to dive back into impactful collaboration

Dr. Jonas Jansson, VTI, joins SAFER's Board

We are delighted to welcome Dr. Jonas Jansson, Head of the Traffic and Road User Department at the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI), as a new member of SAFER's Board of Directors.

New SAFER connected project: Making Driver Assistance Systems Safer and More Robust in VERDAS 

We are pleased to introduce a new partner project, VERDAS (Verification Methods for Robust Driver Assist System Performance), designed to improve road safety for future automated vehicles. By developing advanced physical and virtual testing methods, this project aims to ensure driver assistance systems perform reliably in real-world accident scenarios – with a special focus on protecting vulnerable road users, like pedestrians and cyclists.

Record-breaking results for SAFER’s Partner Satisfaction Index 2024!

As the year wraps up, we are thrilled to share the results of this year’s Partner Satisfaction Index (PSI) – and they are nothing short of extraordinary! This year, the PSI hit a record 4.96/6, the highest score since the measurement begun in 2020, climbing from 4.40 last year.

TADDO2 – Advancing Safer and More Reliable Self-Driving Vehicles

We are excited to announce TADDO2, a new research and innovation project designed to support the development of self-driving vehicles! The project aims to create a framework for "trustworthy DevOps" by combining fast and flexible software development from the IT world with the strict safety standards required for autonomous vehicles.

New Project: Strengthening Civil Society’s Role in Traffic Safety

A new project funded by Skyltfonden aims to strategically involve civil society organisations to amplify the voice of road users and strengthen their role in traffic safety. The initiative will be carried out in partnership with DuWill, NTF Väst and Chalmers University from January to July 2025.

Wrapping up 2024 with the sixth SAFER Research Day

We wrapped up this year’s final SAFER Research Day with an incredible turnout from our community today! The theme, Testing and Verification of ADAS, sparked engaging discussions and valuable insights.

Exciting News: SAFER is organizing Sweden’s first national road safety conference!

Today, we received the fantastic announcement that we have been entrusted with organising the very first National Road Safety Conference in Sweden! Together with Trafikverket and SKR (Sveriges Kommuner och Regioner), we are deeply honored to take on this important mission.

The agenda for SAFER’s spring Thursday lunch seminars is here! 

Get ready for an inspiring spring! SAFER’s partners are warmly invited to join us every Thursday at 11:30 at our co-creation office at Lindholmen Science Park for a networking lunch – a great opportunity to connect, exchange ideas, and strengthen collaborations with peers.

The final sprint of the year at SAFER – our last newsletter for 2024 is here!

As we approach the finish line for this year, SAFER is buzzing with energy! Our December newsletter is now live, welcome to read as we gear up for an exciting 2025.

Explore IGLAD's new web presence!

The IGLAD project received a new web presence. It can be reached at https://iglad.org and contains new and updated information about the now 10-years-old international in-depth accident data project. Besides an overview of the IGLAD data, the consortium members and a detailed codebook for download, you’ll find a publicly available concise statistical report along with a detailed report containing more than 100 tables accessible for IGLAD members, as well as an ever-growing list of publications.

Collaboration in practice: SAFER Research Day #5

At SAFER, we often highlight how collaboration across disciplines is key to building a safe and sustainable transport system. During our fifth Research Day of the year, we brought together researchers and experts from our 46 partners to share results, discuss societal impact, and identify future research questions. This time, the focus was on HorizonEurope 2025 calls, societal readiness, and project results within our research area Safety Performance Evaluation.

SAFER's updated plan for 2025 approved by its partners!

At the recent General Assembly, SAFER confirmed its commitment to advancing traffic safety research by approving the updated Operational Plan for 2025 under the ongoing Stage 6 framework. With 46 partners collaborating across disciplines, we are more equipped than ever to drive impactful research to help save lives in traffic.

SAFER welcomes three new partners to expand collaborative research

We are delighted and proud to announce that three new partners have joined SAFER’s collaborative research platform, which is driven by the vision to create a road transport system safe for all by contributing with science-based knowledge and research. The new partners – Boid, CAE Value, and Cognition – bring expertise to SAFER, and we warmly welcome them to our community!

New project funded: Analysis of the 3D H-point Machine in Relation to Diversity

We are excited to announce a new and innovative project within SAFER’s Idea Exploration Program: Analysis of the 3D H-point Machine in Relation to Diversity. This project is led by Autoliv, Chalmers University of Technology and the Swedish Transport Agency and aims to enhance the understanding of how the three-dimensional H-point machine (HPM) influences injury risk variation and its relationship to occupant diversity.

Can road safety evolve like nature itself - adapting, improving, and thriving in ever-changing environments?

The EvoRoads project aims to accelerate the European Union’s Vision Zero goal by creating innovative tools, models, and services that enable a data-driven evolution of safety assessment frameworks. Through dynamic monitoring of cyber-physical infrastructures, the project promotes proactive risk warnings, helping road operators and policymakers stay ahead of emerging safety challenges.

November SAFER Newsletter now available! 📩 

Our latest newsletter is out, filled with updates on autumn season of SAFER activities. Dive into news on two upcoming mini-conferences, and much more.

DDI celebrates 10 years – next conference in Gothenburg 2026!

Save the date! We are excited to announce that the 10th edition of the International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI) will be held in Gothenburg October 20-22, 2026 to celebrate our milestone anniversary! This will be the sixth time the conference takes place at SAFER’s home base, Lindholmen Science Park, Sweden’s leading hub for future mobility. The conference

Proceedings from DDI2024

The 9th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI) has officially wrapped up, and the proceedings are now available for download!

The 9th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention successfully concluded

For the first time, the 9th International Conference on Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI2024) was hosted by SAFER Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers in the U.S. Approximately 130 international guests from over 20 countries attended the event, with around 50% coming from abroad. The conference theme, “Advances in the understanding and management of distraction and inattention for all road users,” sparked discussions, demonstrating the strength of this growing community.

Ina Koniakowsky wins Best Student Award at DDI 2024

Her presentation The Role of Mental Models on the Effectiveness of Driver Monitoring Systems in Reducing Driver Distraction: Insights from a Driving Simulator Study 1, focuses on evaluating the effectiveness of a driver monitoring system (DMS) in reducing driver distraction, particularly in addressing Long Distraction (LD) and Visual Attention Time Sharing (VATS), through a driving simulator experiment, which showcase important contributions to the field of traffic safety.

Proactive Assessment of Cognitive Work Environment in Ambulance Care

We are excited to announce the addition of a new project to SAFER’s portfolio from our Post-Crash Working Group, Proactive Assessment of Cognitive Work Environment in Ambulance Care (PreKo 2). This project aims to enhance the understanding and evaluation of cognitive workload in ambulance healthcare, contributing both to societal benefits and research advancements. The project will: 1. Map cognitive workload

SAFER’s October newsletter is out!

Our latest newsletter is now available! In this edition, we present our remaining autumn events, showcase new projects from our partners, and highlight an open funding call – SAFER’s Idea Exploration Program. We are also excited to introduce a new working group focused on Remote Operations.

New SAFER Working Group on Remote Operations launched

We are pleased to announce the creation of a new working group at SAFER, dedicated to Remote Operations. This group aims to bring together stakeholders from across the SAFER network who are interested in collaborating to build knowledge and drive innovation in this rapidly evolving field.

Nominees for the Best Student Award at the 9th International Conference on Driver Distraction an Inattention

Congratulations to the nominees for the Best Student Award at the 9th International Conference on Driver Distraction an Inattention! Their innovative research is making a significant impact on the field of traffic safety, and we look forward to their presentations during the conference.