Fleet operators

Roadside workers are among the most exposed and least protected road users in Europe. Every day, road maintenance crews, recovery operators and temporary workers perform their duties only a few meters away from live traffic.

According to the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT), seven roadside workers were killed on interurban roads in Spain in 2024: five tow-truck operators and two road maintenance and conservation workers. Similar risks exist across Europe wherever temporary roadworks, lane closures or roadside interventions take place.

Research by RACE-GOODYEAR and Ponle Freno-AXA has shown that a significant proportion of pedestrian fatalities on roads occur during signaling and roadside intervention activities, particularly in low-visibility conditions and on high-speed roads.

The underlying challenge is operational blindness. Temporary work zones have traditionally been protected through physical signage and manual reporting. Control centres often have limited real-time visibility of the exact location and status of roadside operations. If a cone is displaced, knocked over or removed, there is no automatic notification. Drivers only become aware of the hazard when they physically see the work zone, sometimes too late to react safely.

Our initiative addresses this challenge by transforming temporary roadside hazards into digital, real-time traffic events that can be shared instantly across the connected mobility ecosystem.

Road safety is often viewed as a transport-sector issue, while the role of employers, transport purchasers and public organisations remains largely overlooked. Yet work-related mobility has a major impact on road safety. In Sweden, approximately 45% of all fatal road crashes involve work-related travel or transport activities, either because a road user was travelling for work or because a work-related transport was involved.

At the same time, many organisations do not systematically address road safety within their occupational health and safety management, sustainability work, procurement processes or transport operations. Significant safety potential remains untapped, particularly regarding safe speeds, seat belt use, safe vehicles, impairment prevention and safety requirements in purchased transport services.

The initiative addresses this gap by helping organisations understand their responsibility for road safety and by providing practical support for integrating road safety into everyday management processes. It targets employers, transport operators and transport purchasers across both public and private sectors, recognising that nearly all organisations generate travel and transport that affect employees, suppliers and other road users.

The overall challenge is therefore not a lack of technical road safety knowledge, but how to embed road safety into organisational decision-making, leadership, culture and management systems.

To warn road users of a danger on a road section, for instance following an accident, and to divert the traffic in a safe direction, traditionally wind-powered torches made of wax material are used. This solution implies some relevant road safety problems. First, exposure and risks for operators, on one side of being hit by vehicles while torches are placed on the road surface and turned on, on the other side of being wounded by open flames. Furthermore, damage of the asphalt on which torches are placed during use, compromising its useful time, and lack of practicality since they are made of fibrous materials and wax and can’t be extinguished even if no longer needed.
Every year road workers and emergency operators are injured or killed while deploying temporary warning devices in live traffic environments. Flash-Led was conceived to eliminate this exposure by enabling remote deployment of warning systems and significantly improving operator safety.
The present invention relates to a road signalling system aimed to substitute the traditional use of wind-powered torches, allowing an effective signalling of danger and/or obstruction and/or traffic channelling, ensuring the complete operators safety, avoiding infrastructure damages and, furthermore, informing road users through road navigation platforms. The solution includes n. 4 electric movable elements signalling with high visibility LEDs, remotely controlled by an operator from a plurality of possible schemes and arranged in an easily transportable container, which can reports the danger to users through platforms like Google/Waze etc.

Roadside workers are among the most exposed and least protected road users in Europe. Every day, road maintenance crews, recovery operators and temporary works teams perform their duties only a few meters away from live traffic.
According to the Spanish Traffic Authority (DGT), seven roadside workers were killed on interurban roads in Spain in 2024: five tow-truck operators and two road maintenance and conservation workers. Similar risks exist across Europe wherever temporary roadworks, lane closures or roadside interventions take place.
Research by RACE-GOODYEAR and Ponle Freno-AXA has shown that a significant proportion of pedestrian fatalities on roads occur during signalling and roadside intervention activities, particularly in low-visibility conditions and on high-speed roads.
The underlying challenge is operational blindness. Temporary work zones have traditionally been protected through physical signage and manual reporting. Control centres often have limited real-time visibility of the exact location and status of roadside operations. If a cone is displaced, knocked over or removed, there is no automatic notification. Drivers only become aware of the hazard when they physically see the work zone, sometimes too late to react safely.
Our initiative addresses this challenge by transforming temporary roadside hazards into digital, real-time traffic events that can be shared instantly across the connected mobility ecosystem.

ASPI acknowledges the need to build an integrated ecosystem encompassing infrastructure, vehicles, traffic management, and data governance.
On a motorway network, one of the most critical risks arises from the coexistence of live traffic and maintenance worksites, which exposes two groups of people to hazard every day: road users and site operators. Managing this overlap across an infrastructure of around 3,000 km calls for an innovative and systemic approach.
The “Advanced Traffic Mobility Management System” project therefore, stems from the clear goal of structurally reducing risk exposure by acting in an integrated manner on planning and information, such as:
optimizing the planning of roadworks by scheduling them in time windows with lower traffic volume, to reduce interference between traffic flows and operational activities; strengthening user information through advanced tools to anticipate traffic conditions and enable safer, more informed mobility choices.
The initiative is fully aligned with the EU’s Vision Zero-zero road deaths by 2050 and halving deaths and serious injuries by 2030.

The speed of modern highway traffic represents one of the greatest risks for highway maintenance and patrol operators. Traditional safety measures such as arrow boards, flashing lights and roadside signage remain essential, but they are increasingly challenged by driver distraction and the growing complexity of traffic environments.
On the R1 expressway in Slovakia, maintenance and patrol vehicles frequently operate in live traffic conditions where approaching drivers may not recognize a hazard until it is too late to react safely. Even a brief lapse in attention can lead to severe collisions, injuries, secondary crashes and significant disruption to traffic flow.
Via Pribina identified a critical need to close the gap between roadside incidents and driver awareness. Traditional warning systems provide information only when the hazard becomes visible. However, at motorway speeds, valuable reaction time may already be lost.
The challenge was therefore to create a solution that would deliver safety information directly to approaching drivers before they reached the incident location.
The objective was to transform conventional roadside safety measures into proactive digital alerts capable of supporting safer driving behaviour, reducing collision risks and improving protection for both road workers and motorists.

Urban environments present significant safety challenges for commercial vehicle operators, particularly when vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists interact with large vehicles. While existing regulations and safety systems have improved protection, important gaps remain.

Most current side-detection systems are designed primarily to detect cyclists travelling at speed and focus on straight-line scenarios. However, many serious incidents occur when vehicles move off or turn, particularly involving slow-moving pedestrians, older people, children, and other vulnerable road users. Existing systems can also generate excessive false alarms, causing drivers to become desensitised to warnings and reducing their effectiveness.

Radar Predict Plus was developed to address these challenges. By combining radar technology with AI-powered camera analytics, the system accurately identifies vulnerable road users while filtering out irrelevant objects and minimising unnecessary alerts. It provides targeted warnings only when a genuine risk exists, helping drivers stay focused and respond effectively.

The initiative addresses a critical safety gap by improving protection in real-world operating conditions, particularly at low speeds and during manoeuvres where vulnerable road users are most at risk.

In 2020, we undertook a comprehensive review of our vehicle safety strategy. At that time, our primary focus was on accident management, driver safety, and identifying ways to reduce both the risks our employees faced while driving and the potential risks our vehicles posed to other road users. By "posed," we refer to the fact that our fleet consisted of relatively basic vehicles, with few advanced safety features included as standard.

The initiative presented several challenges. Cost was a significant consideration, as we needed to build a strong business case to justify the additional investment required for enhanced vehicle safety features. We also needed to engage with a workforce that had strong trade union representation, making consultation and communication an essential part of the implementation process.

The programme began with the delivery of our first upgraded vehicles in 2020. At a time when advanced safety technologies attracted a substantial premium, we made a deliberate decision to invest heavily in improving the safety of our fleet. Looking back, that investment has proven to be highly successful. The results have clearly demonstrated the value of prioritising vehicle safety, with a significant positive impact on both driver protection and overall risk reduction.

Operating a national fleet of over 850 vehicles supporting more than 2,000 employees presents a unique range of road safety challenges. Employees travel daily to high-risk environments including railway level crossings, bridges, trackside locations and busy public roads, often transporting specialised equipment and working under time-critical conditions. Protecting employees and other road users while maintaining operational effectiveness remains a key priority.

Before the introduction of GSR, we had already made significant investments in vehicle safety. This included implementing telematics systems, forward- and rear-facing dash cams, and, most importantly, passive safety features across our fleet. These measures helped improve driver behaviour monitoring, incident reporting, and occupant protection. The main challenge was the cost and logistics of upgrading vehicles and ensuring consistent implementation across the fleet. However, by taking a proactive approach to safety rather than waiting for regulatory requirements, we were able to enhance driver and passenger protection, reduce risk, and establish a strong safety culture within the organisation.

One of the principal challenges has been reducing occupational road risk by ensuring that both the driver and vehicle are fit for purpose. Experience gained through managing large commercial fleets has shown that vehicle safety alone is not enough; driver behaviour, competency, fatigue awareness and vehicle utilisation all play a critical role in reducing incidents. Historically, many organisations have relied on reactive measures following collisions. Our approach has been to move towards proactive risk management.

Additional challenges included integrating specialist railway maintenance equipment safely within vehicles, adapting to emerging technologies, and preparing for the transition to electric vehicles without compromising safety standards. The increasing complexity of modern vehicle technology also required continuous education and engagement with drivers to ensure advanced safety systems were fully understood and effectively utilised.

Road safety still faces a critical blind spot: vehicles are increasingly advanced, but they remain vulnerable when the road surface suddenly loses grip. Snow and ice are among the most dangerous examples, because they reduce tyre-road friction, increase braking distances, compromise steering control and can trigger loss-of-control events before the driver or the vehicle can react effectively.
This is not a marginal issue. According to the World Health Organization, road crashes still cause around 1.19 million deaths every year, and urgent action is needed to halve deaths and injuries by 2030. Weather-related risks are also measurable: FHWA data for the United States show that weather-related crashes account for nearly 745,000 crashes per year on average, with freezing precipitation alone linked to about 219,942 crashes, 34,206 injuries and 407 fatalities annually.
AIS 2 addresses this challenge by moving beyond detection and driver warning. It is designed to actively improve grip conditions on snow and ice, helping vehicles maintain control in situations where conventional ADAS, braking and stability systems are limited by the physical lack of friction. The goal is simple: prevent avoidable accidents caused by low-grip winter conditions.