Welcome to the Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences (WIVW GmbH)!
Your partner for innovative human factors research in the field of traffic science
Our interdisciplinary team of experts in the fields of psychology, engineering and computer science provides you with competent support as a research partner in the field of human factors. We address complex research and development issues of market leaders in the mobility industry and are partners in numerous publicly funded national and international large-scale projects.
Individual driving simulation solutions for science and training
Based on our proprietary SILAB® software, we design, implement and offer customized simulator- and simulation solutions. SILAB was specifically designed for scientific purposes and is continuously developed further in close cooperation with our users. In addition to research and development, this also enables the targeted use of driving simulators for training and driver education.
News
- July
2025 WIVW publishes study on arousal in critical task performance during sleep inertia in Nature Scientific ReportsHow does a sudden request to take over manual driving affect the physiological activity (arousal) of users of automated vehicles?
A new publication by the WIVW on sleeping during an automated trip shows that drivers who are awakened by a takeover request exhibit a physiological reaction that seems paradoxical at first glance.
After awakening, patterns that are typical of sleep (e.g., slowed brain activity) coexist with patterns of increased activity (e.g., a sharp rise in heart rate). The findings could indicate that drivers need time to wake up completely after being awakened, but at the same time, they are also put under stress by the takeover request.
One explanation for these findings is that sleep inertia (a feeling of grogginess upon waking) causes stress in situations where drivers suddenly have to react to the traffic situation.
The study was published in the journal Nature Scientific Reports and is freely available here. It was conducted as part of the RUMBA project, which was funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (recently BMWE).
- July
2025 Publication of the Instructor Guidelines for advanced voluntary motorcycle training under the scientific supervision of the WIVWIs it cognitive skills that need to be trained in order to avoid typical motorcycle accidents, or is it a lack of motor skills when it comes to controlling the vehicle?
Ultimately, it is probably necessary to have both in order to improve the safety of motorcyclists in the long term. As part of the large-scale “Learn – Ride – Enjoy – Repeat” campaign, ACEM and FIM presented the Instructor Guidelines for advanced voluntary motorcycle training last weekend at the Moto GP race in Assen. Together with partners from industry, science, and experts in the field of driver training, methodological recommendations were developed on how to train driving skills that will help prevent the most common types of accidents. The WIVW supported the process from a scientific perspective based on its many years of motorcycle research.
In addition to the initiators ACEM (Association des Constructeurs Européens de Motocycles) and FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme), thanks go to the partners KNMV (Royal Dutch Motorcycle Association), SMC (Swedish Motorcyclists' Association), VSV (Flemish Foundation for Traffic Knowledge), Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU), Institute for Two-Wheeler Safety (ifz), Traffic Accident Research at TU Dresden (VUFO), and the Austrian Road Safety Board (KFV).
 
- July
2025 WIVW presents study on tele-driving at the IEEE IV 2025From 23 to 25 June 2025, the WIVW participated in the 36th IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium in Cluj-Napoca (Romania). Researchers from universities, industry and public authorities were invited to present their latest research and applications on intelligent vehicles and vehicle infrastructures.
The WIVW presented the project ATLAS L4 results of an experimental study in the tele-driving simulator under the title ‘Studying Effects of Up- and Downlink Latency on Remote Driving Using Teledriving Simulation’ and discussed them with the participants.
- July
2025 Simulator-based driver assistance systems trainingAs part of the Hi-Drive User Training Programme, WIVW has developed a simulator-based training approach for Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).
This format uses a driving simulator to allow users to engage with critical traffic scenarios, system boundaries and failure cases in a safe, controlled, and repeatable environment. The training combines a brief theoretical introduction with practical simulator sessions, allowing participants to familiarize themselves with the purpose and handling of the system. It complements the road-based formats offered by the mobility clubs involved in Hi-Drive.
A video about the training course can be found here.
Further information on the use of driving simulation for training and education can be found on the SILAB Driver Education & Training page.
- June
2025 WIVW publishes study on situation awareness during automated driving in Accident Analysis & PreventionHow much situation awareness (SA) is really needed during automated driving (AD) to safely take over? How can we reliably measure situation awareness?
These are the questions we explored in our latest study at WIVW, which was conducted as part of the European Hi-Drive project and has now been published in Accident Analysis & Prevention. In a driving simulator experiment involving 41 participants, we manipulated visual input during AD to create four distinct levels of attention. Various methods were employed to assess SA, including subjective ratings, eye-tracking data, performance metrics and probe-based measures.
While subjective SA, gaze behaviour and performance varied across attention levels, complete visual suppression during automated driving had surprisingly little impact on takeover performance as long as the scenarios did not place high demands on SA. However, in more demanding situations, SA clearly played a critical role in ensuring good performance.
These findings offer important insights for evaluating and designing SA assessment methods in the context of automated driving.
You can access the full publication here for free.
- June
2025 Visit from Singapore at the WIVWLast week, the WIVW welcomed a nine-member delegation from Singapore. HTX Singapore, ST Engineering, and the National University of Singapore learned about the expertise we have built up over many years in the field of human factors motorcycle research and the design and operation of a dynamic motorcycle simulator. The applications of innovative and continuously developed technologies and research tools in the field of powered two-wheelers will evolve significantly beyond their current state in the foreseeable future. Through interdisciplinary collaboration between human factors, engineering, and computer science, we are striving to achieve precisely this. In addition, our guests were able to experience the latest developments in SILAB Driver Education & Training (Emergency) and teleoperation for themselves on our driving simulators.