Entitled “AUGENBLICK – Ablenkung hat viele Gesichter“ (engl. „At a glance – distraction has many faces”), the Lower Franconian Police Headquarters has launched a campaign against distraction in road traffic. Five well-known local sportspeople, including biathlete Philipp Nawrath and Alen Pjanic from the Fitness-First Würzburg Baskets, are highlighting the risks of distraction in their respective sports and on the road. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the increased risk of accidents caused by distractions such as using smartphones, eating and drinking, chatting with passengers, and daydreaming. It aims to promote simple yet effective changes in behavior. The campaign is being promoted via videos on social media, via leaflets and posters, information stands in town centers, and targeted talks in schools. WIVW is providing scientific support for the campaign, including developing targeted surveys to enable the ongoing evaluation of the effectiveness of the individual campaign components. Further information on the campaign can be found here.

Following the successful evaluation of the joint funding application, the EVEREST project is now officially getting underway. To this end, all consortium partners met on 12–13 May 2026 at the premises of the coordinator, AIT Austrian Institute of Technology, in Vienna to kick off the three-year project in terms of both organisation and content.

The EU-funded EVEREST project aims to develop innovative, user-oriented and cost-effective solutions for the thermal and energy management of battery electric vehicles and to demonstrate these using three test vehicles. The WIVW is primarily contributing to the investigation of the acceptance of innovative thermal concepts, such as infrared panels, and individual comfort zones.

Technology advancements and new regulations serve as demand drivers for consideration of Human Factors (HF) aspects in the automotive regulation context. WIVW offers the best-fitted test approach for your needs!

Based on Regulations (EU) 2021/1341 and 2023/2590, we conduct user tests supporting the homologation of DDAW (Driver Drowsiness and Attention Warning) and ADDW (Advanced Driver Distraction Warning) systems based on standardized test protocols on public roads, test tracks and in the driving simulator.

In addition, WIVW supports you in fulfilling DCAS Regulation R171 (Driver Control Assistance Systems) by providing Human-Factors expertise across the full development cycle. Our services are modular and scalable, allowing us to prioritize either rapid assessment or high-validity testing depending on your development phase and budget. We offer early-stage user studies via driving simulation, expert checklist-based evaluations, and rigorous HMI readiness testing in real vehicles on public roads or test tracks.

Please contact us for further information and for a tailored offer!

The WIVW will present the research findings that were developed as part of the STADT:up project in collaboration with CARIAD, at the STADT:up final event on 10–11 June 2026 at the Aldenhoven Testing Center. The research findings are based on three driving simulator studies conducted at WIVW in 2024/25. These studies focused on developing and evaluating an HMI solution for highly automated driving in urban traffic. We also investigated the framework conditions necessary for successful cooperation between the vehicle and the user. You can find out more about the event and register for it on this page here.

Is the minimalist cockpit hitting a dead end?

The WIVW will be represented at this year’s SKZ Symposium on "Plastic Films in Mobility" . Under the title "Return to Haptics?", WIVW will examine the tension between new Euro NCAP requirements and increasing vehicle automation.

The trend toward the "smartphone replica" in cars is reaching its limits. Starting in 2026, Euro NCAP will reward the return to physical controls for safety-relevant functions. But how can this be reconciled with modern design standards? WIVW will discuss how adaptive controls and intelligent surfaces reduce cognitive load while simultaneously opening up new design possibilities.

How can drivers be quickly and safely brought back to an alert state after a short nap?

This question is becoming increasingly important as automated driving functions advance. While future vehicle systems could allow drivers to sleep temporarily, a critical phase arises during the transition back to active driving: so-called sleep inertia. This is a temporary state of reduced alertness and cognitive performance immediately after waking up—a potential safety risk in road traffic.

In the talk entitled “Sleeping during automated driving: The potential of an image-based reaction-time game to mitigate sleep inertia” at the HFES Europe Conference in Copenhagen, the WIVW presented a newly developed strategy against sleep inertia. The goal of this approach is to specifically activate drivers after a short nap and quickly improve their reaction time and mood.

The game is based on the so-called SILAB Secondary Task Software Package and has already been evaluated in an initial driving simulator study. The results show promising potential: participants were able to regain their alertness more quickly, which forms the basis for further optimizations and future applications.

The research was conducted as part of the SALSA project and funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy. The study thus makes an important contribution to the safe design of the transition between automated and manual driving—a crucial building block for the mobility of tomorrow