News
- October
2026 Publication on ADAS Driver Training EvaluationAs Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) become more widely used, the need for effective driver training is growing. But to what extend can training actually improve drivers’ knowledge, attitudes towards, and intentions regarding ADAS?
As part of the EU-funded Hi-Drive project, an ADAS driver training concept was developed and evaluated across four European countries. Delivered by the mobility clubs ADAC, AMZS, RACC and RACB, the training combined theoretical classroom instruction with practical hands-on experience on test tracks and open roads. A total of 166 participants completed questionnaires before and after the training.
The results showed that training significantly improved participants’ knowledge of ADAS system purposes, handling, and limitations. At the same time, some misunderstandings remained. Interestingly, perceived safety and trust in ADAS remained unchanged, while willingness to use ADAS as well as perceived ease of use and usefulness increased. These findings highlight that effective ADAS training should go beyond simply providing information. Identifying and addressing existing misconceptions is equally important.
A big thank you to the mobility clubs ADAC, AMZS, RACC and RACB and to all Hi-Drive partners who contributed to the development and implementation of the training! The training evaluation was conducted jointly by WIVW, the University of Leeds and TUDElft, and has now been published in Applied Ergonomics.
Would you like to learn more about the training evaluation? The publication is freely available until 19 November 2026 here.
- September
2026 Publication in Transportation Research on a new method for situation awareness in the context of automated drivingThe WIVW published a new method for the assessment of situation awareness in the context of automated driving.
We developed so called “Can”-Scenarios to assess drivers’ situational awareness whilst driving with Level 2 and Level 3 automated systems. These are scenarios that can be resolved by the automation system, but are challenging in the sense that the automation behaves in an uncomfortable or uncooperative manner when interacting with other road users. A driver who is situationally aware recognizes these limitations and reacts proactively by deactivating or temporarily overriding the system. Such an intervention by the driver is not a ‘MUST’ but a ‘CAN’. In this respect, these scenarios represent a new method for assessing situational awareness.
The publication in Transportation Research describes the conducted simulator study and its results. It is still freely available until October 22, 2026 here.
- September
2026 Presentation at the Car2Car Forum in Helmond, NetherlandsHow can motorcycle safety research benefit car drivers?
At this year’s CAR 2 CAR Forum, taking place 13–14 October 2026 in Helmond, the Netherlands, WIVW will explore exactly this question with the presentation:
“Putting Riders in the Loop: Human Factors Contribution to Safe Cooperative Systems”
Today’s traffic challenges cannot be solved by looking at individual modes of transport in isolation. Cross-modal exchange and collaboration are essential for developing safer, more cooperative mobility systems.
The presentation will share insights from a series of research activities conducted at WIVW, focusing on warning design for motorcycle C-ITS assistance systems on behalf of the CMC. These findings will then be related to the automotive domain, with their relevance to safer systems for car drivers — and vice versa. The CAR 2 CAR Forum brings together stakeholders from industry, politics, infrastructure, academia and beyond, making it an ideal setting to exchange perspectives and discuss what lies ahead for cooperative and connected mobility.
More details and registration: CAR 2 CAR Forum.
- August
2026 WIVW Presentation at the Pre-Online Event of the Safetronic Conference on September 28Human factors requirements for safety of use are becoming increasingly relevant (e.g. UN ECE regulation R171 for DCAS.) However, these regulations lack defined acceptance criteria and standardized test protocols for demonstrating compliance.
In our presentation, we present a systematic framework to derive HMI requirements from specific human-error and discuss corresponding validation protocols. An exemplary approach to compliance demonstration for DCAS (UN R171) is presented, specifically addressing the mandate for empirical validation through standardized user test protocols.
Open methodological issues - such as the challenges in capturing human factors aspects like overreliance and foreseeable misuse - are discussed, leading to a comprehensive proposal for the safety of use evaluation across the entire product lifecycle.
Follow this link to participate free of charge in this interactive online format on September 28 from 4:00 pm to 6:30 pm CEST.
- August
2026 EVEREST Online SurveyIt's 30°C outside and you get into your car in a supermarket car park. Would you turn on the maximum air conditioning, open the windows, or both? What would you do if you saw the range of your electric vehicle dropping rapidly due to the HVAC system?
WIVW is a partner in the EU research project EVEREST. As part of this project, we are working on optimising climate comfort in future vehicles.
Through an online survey, we would like to find out how motorists across Europe cope with very cold and very hot outside temperatures and which factors play a role in this. The survey was available online until the end of September 2026 and was completed by more than 800 people from various European countries.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s HORIZON EUROPE research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 101269943.
- July
2026 WIVW supports the campaign by the Lower Franconian Police Headquarters targeting distraction in road trafficEntitled “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.
