News
- November
2024 Publication of the report on the results of the project “SESPIN - Safe and efficient S-pedelec infrastructure”S-pedelecs offer pedal assistance up to 45 km/h. This gives them the potential to also be used on medium-distance routes that would otherwise be covered by car (e.g., commuting routes). In addition to other advantages, this would have a positive impact both on the health of users and on more climate-friendly mobility.
However, the legal regulations in the D-A-CH region are inconsistent. In Germany, for example, S-pedelecs may only be used on the road in mixed traffic, whereas in Switzerland, cycle traffic facilities must be used. In the framework of an extensive transnational funding project (Österreichische Forschungsförderungsgesellschaft, FFG GmbH), it was the aim of the study to develop recommendations for action for the D-A-CH region on how S-pedelecs can be safely and efficiently integrated into the existing traffic system, while ensuring the broadest possible acceptance by all road users. These recommendations for action can be found in the now published final report, which is the result of a collaboration with partners from Austria (Salzburg Research) and Switzerland (University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland, University of Applied Psychology and University of Applied Sciences for Architecture, Civil Engineering and Geomatics). The results report is available here and on the project website.
- November
2024 WIVW publishes BASt report on the psychological consequences of accidentsWhat are the psychological effects of road accidents? What mental disorders are common as a result of these accidents? How do the psychological consequences of accidents affect driving behavior?
As part of an extensive research project funded by the German Federal Highway Research Institute (research project 82.0734), the Würzburg Institute for Traffic Sciences (WIVW GmbH) and the University of Würzburg's University Outpatient Clinic for Psychotherapy jointly conducted a detailed literature review and an experimental study in public traffic.
The report has now been published and is available here.
- November
2024 Presentation at the 13th GMTTB Annual Conference in ConstanceThe WIVW gave a presentation at the 13th Annual Conference of the Society for Medical and Technical Trauma Biomechanics (GMTTB), which took place at the University of Konstanz on 17th and 18th October. The society promotes the understanding of road traffic events and accidents, in particular the improvement of medical, technical and trauma-biomechanical knowledge and expertise for accident-related injuries and their prevention.
The topic of the talk was the presentation of a method for human factors assessment of semi-automated systems in vehicles based on observation of driver behaviour and interviews. Other presentations covered topics such as cannabis in road traffic, accident research and road safety in Europe and worldwide. Further information can be found here.
- November
2024 WIVW publishes study on strategic naps during automated driving in Accident Analysis & PreventionWhat matters more: Nap duration or sleep depth?
A new study from WIVW on napping during automated driving reveals that sleep inertia—the grogginess experienced after waking—can occur even after short naps. Interestingly, the duration of the nap seems to play a minor role, while the fitness upon waking depends significantly on how deeply passengers sleep.
Future automated vehicles should therefore be equipped with technology capable of monitoring sleep depth, allowing them to offer appropriate post-nap support. The study has been published in Accident Analysis & Prevention and is freely accessible here.
This research is part of the project RUMBA, funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action.
- October
2024 Three presentations by the WIVW at the Driver Distraction and Inattention Conference (DDI) in Ann Arbour, USAThe WIVW was represented at this year's Driver Distraction and Inattention (DDI) conference with three interesting presentations.
The DDI is a renowned international conference, where research on driver distraction and inattention are presented to advance road safety. This year's DDI was held from 22 to 24 October at Ann Arbour, University of Michigan (UMTRI). During the conference, WIVW presented exciting new research results on the following topics:
- Empirical evaluation of demands imposed on drivers by characteristics of dynamic visual information
- Assessing situation awareness while driving with automation
- Still fit to drive? - how car sickness affects takeover and driving performance
More information about the conference and the abstracts and presentations are available here.
- October
2024 WIVW contribution to the Motion Comfort WorkshopHow many people get sick when travelling by car? What factors modulate car sickness?
The WIVW will provide answers to these questions at the Motion Comfort Workshop (06/07 November, 2024) with a presentation and a poster on the prevalence and modulating factors of car sickness. The workshop is organised by Volkswagen - Group Innovation and TU Delft and supported by the European Hi-Drive project.
You can register for online participation at this link. You will also find the agenda and information on the presentations.
