Pedestrians

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.

The Tarandė Street reconstruction project was developed to address several significant road safety challenges in a rapidly growing residential area of Vilnius. Increasing traffic volumes, combined with insufficient infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists, created safety risks for vulnerable road users and reduced the attractiveness of active mobility options.
Prior to the project, pedestrian and cycling connections were fragmented, and road users frequently shared space with motor vehicles. The lack of continuous and dedicated infrastructure increased the risk of conflicts between different road users, particularly children, older adults, and people travelling on foot or by bicycle. In addition, traffic speeds and limited visibility in certain areas contributed to an increased risk of road incidents.
The project aimed to improve safety for all road users while prioritising the needs of vulnerable groups. Key objectives included reducing the likelihood and severity of traffic collisions, improving the quality and continuity of pedestrian and cycling routes, enhancing visibility at crossings and intersections, and creating a safer and more accessible public space.
Through the development of new pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, safer street design solutions, and improved connectivity with residential areas and public transport, the project promotes safer travel, encourages sustainable mobility choices, and supports the creation of a more people-centred urban environment. The project contributes to Vilnius City's long-term vision of achieving safer, more inclusive, and more sustainable streets for all.

Road traffic crashes remain a major public health challenge, representing the leading cause of death among children and young people aged 5–29 worldwide. Greece is no exception to this reality, with vulnerable road users facing evolving mobility challenges, including the growing use of e-scooters and other personal mobility devices alongside traditional road safety risks, reinforcing the need for early, practical and age-appropriate road safety education.
At national level, this challenge is further compounded by the fact that road safety education is not compulsory within the school curriculum and is largely left to the discretion of teachers, who may choose whether to implement it through skills-based workshops. As a result, many children and young people have limited opportunities to develop the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to become safe and responsible road users through structured learning.
At regional level in Northern Greece, there was a clear need for an innovative and accessible educational initiative capable of bringing together the expertise of the road safety sector, local communities and the private sector in order to strengthen prevention efforts and engage different population groups within a shared road safety framework.
These interconnected challenges highlight a clear gap in structured, experiential and inclusive road safety education, which this initiative was designed to address.

Nea Odos operates one of Greece's most strategically important motorway corridors - the 196 km Ionia Odos (A5), part of the European E65 route At Nea Odos, road safety relies on a coordinated ecosystem of processes, systems, human and material resources. Our daily goal is to enhance operational capacity through innovation with measurable improvements in detection and response times, while setting a benchmark for the industry.
To support this goal, we deployed an AI-powered system for 24/7 maintenance, surveillance, and driver information, along the entire length of the Ionia Odos highway addressing critical motorway safety challenges such as animal incursions, pedestrian presence, vehicles moving against traffic etc These high-risk events require significant resources and are often linked to severe incidents.
Traditional monitoring systems rely on fixed infrastructure with limited coverage and adaptability. Furthermore, the growing number of data sources—sensors, navigation apps, crowd inputs, and weather data—often leads to fragmentation, operator overload, and inconsistent alerts. As a result, operators must cross-check multiple systems, delaying event validation, response, and communication.
To address these challenges, Nea Odos partnered with Valerann to integrate AI-powered cameras, geolocation and multi-source data analytics into a unified platform - Lanternn. Goal to improve detection speed and accuracy, reduces response times, and enable faster, targeted response.
By integrating diverse data Nea Odos is advancing safer, smarter motorway operations without costly infrastructure expansion.

Bentley is addressing the challenge of improving roadway safety through more proactive and data-driven maintenance practices. Road authorities worldwide face aging infrastructure, constrained budgets, and increasing demands for safer and more efficient road networks. Traditional inspection methods are often time-consuming, expensive, and dependent on manual surveys and specialized vehicles, which can limit the frequency and scale of inspections.

Through its Blyncsy roadway intelligence solution, Bentley helps road authorities and infrastructure operators identify and mitigate safety risks before they become more serious hazards. It empowers cities, road authorities and infrastructure operators across the European Union with the ability to monitor and compare—in near real-time—the status of roadways with their existing data for more informed decision-making. Bentley has released a groundbreaking public safety map highlighting key road conditions, asset detection, and AI-powered debris and vegetation detection throughout the European Union. The initiative is designed to support local and regional road authorities and infrastructure operators in prioritizing roadway maintenance while aligning with broader sustainability and equity goals.

The solution uses artificial intelligence and computer vision to automatically detect over 50 types of roadway conditions and safety-critical assets, including potholes, deteriorating pavement markings, damaged signs, guardrails, cable barriers, street light malfunctions, vegetation encroachment, and work zone issues.

Bentley also addresses the challenge of maintaining accurate and up-to-date information across large transportation networks. By providing near real-time asset intelligence and automated condition assessments, the company enables transportation owners and operators to improve situational awareness and prioritize maintenance activities.

The initiative supports a transition from reactive maintenance to predictive asset management, contributing to safer roads, more resilient infrastructure, and more efficient use of public resources.

Traffic in Czech cities often creates high stress levels and actively endangers vulnerable road users. However, the greatest hurdle to improving road safety infrastructure remains intense public resistance. When municipalities attempt to implement essential traffic calming measures such as 30 km/h zones or safe school streets, they frequently face severe backlash, as these changes are perceived as unpopular restrictions imposed from above.
Without a robust information base and unified communication strategy, cities struggle to convey the deeper benefits of these safety interventions. The ZVOLNI campaign bridges this critical gap by transforming the narrative. We provide municipalities with a clear, positive communication framework to explain that lowering vehicle speeds is not about imposing bans, but about creating safer, healthier, and more vibrant public spaces.
Crucially, ZVOLNI goes beyond municipal support by focusing on broad public education and engaging directly with children, fostering a generational shift in how urban mobility is perceived. To ensure accuracy and credibility, all initiatives operate under the strict factual supervision of recognized expert partners. By combining expert supported education, youth engagement, and positive messaging, the project empowers cities to overcome skepticism and successfully implement vital safety measures.

Cycling has been growing in the city of Paris and in its region Île-de-France – this growth is fast, also takes place beyond the city centre, and is bringing many new and inexperienced riders (in 2023, 44% of cyclists had been cycling for less than three years). It was critical to quickly increase road safety for cycling, or this growth would lead to a growth in traffic casualties, and further discourage an important part of the population that can really benefit from cycling (Cycling Cities Barometer found 89% of respondents believe traffic conditions do not allow children to cycle safely).
In France, a significant gender gap remains in cycling: 29% of men cycle regularly compared with only 20% of women, a disparity is largely linked to perceptions of road danger, which highlights the need for continuous, protected cycling infrastructure.
The Île-de-France Cycling Network (VIF) was developed to address this challenge by enabling cyclists to travel on routes that are safe, continuous, easy to follow, and separated from motorised traffic.
The VIF is based on the creation of more than 750 km of high-quality cycling infrastructure crossing 194 municipalities, designed according to six core principles: safety, continuity, comfort, capacity, efficiency, and clarity.
The project directly contributes to the European Commission's Vision Zero objective by applying the Safe System approach, reducing exposure to high-speed motorised traffic, improving the safety of intersections and crossings, and creating a safer road environment for vulnerable road users, including children, women, seniors, and inexperienced cyclists.
Before the project, cycling infrastructure in the region was often fragmented or absent, resulting in unsafe gaps, dangerous intersections, inconsistent signage, and varying quality standards. These shortcomings increased conflicts between cyclists and motor vehicles, particularly affecting vulnerable users such as children, women, seniors, tourists, and new cyclists.
The VIF addresses these issues by creating continuous and protected routes, improving dangerous sections, and eliminating network gaps through a dedicated programme targeting high-risk locations. The results are already visible: according to APUR, the Paris urban planning Agency, women represented 45% of new daily cyclists in 2024, while perceived insecurity remains the main barrier to cycling. This trend illustrates how safer infrastructure can make cycling more inclusive and reduce road safety risks for all users.

The program targets the main source of road safety issues: the human factor, and more specifically, the lack of transport culture and partnership. Approximately 90% of road traffic accidents can be attributed to human error, inattention, or rule violations. The main challenges are the ever-increasing aggression, impatience, conscious violation of rules, and distraction caused by modern technology. A further critical problem is that drivers, cyclists, e-scooter users, and pedestrians often view each other as enemies rather than interdependent partners in shared spaces. This flawed mindset increases the number of conflicts and the risk of severe accidents. Instead of traditional authoritative methods relying solely on prohibitions and sanctions, the Program's goal is to apply a comprehensive, educational approach that fosters positive examples, mutual respect, and responsible behavior rather than inducing fear. Changing these attitudes and raising public awareness are essential to achieving the Vision Zero goal set by the European Union. Thus, by directly addressing the root causes of accidents and increasing safety awareness, the program supports this highly important endeavor. The date for the Day of Transport Culture was set to May 11 in honor of the opening day of the UN Decade of Action on May 11, 2011. It was first organized in 2015, and has been held every year since then, with the exception of the pandemic period.