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Enhancing Safety in Navigation: The Future of Safe Route Planning for Vulnerable Road Users

In our rushing world of navigation apps and GPS systems, choosing the best route often boils down to factors like cost, time, and distance. But what about safety? For vulnerable road users (VRUs) such as pedestrians and cyclists, the stakes are even higher since they lack a protective shell such as car occupants. Traditional routing applications may overlook the safety aspect, leaving these users especially at risk.

Enter the EU-funded project "SOTERIA," which aims to revolutionize route planning by prioritizing safety. So, how do we make routes safer? It starts with understanding accident probabilities at different sections and intersections. But here's the catch: simply counting accidents isn't enough. We need to factor in the likelihood of a road user being involved in an accident. For example, ten accidents on a quiet residential street are more concerning than ten accidents on a bustling main road. Additionally, we must consider the severity of accidents, especially for VRUs.

To achieve this, SOTERIA is developing data-driven models that analyze various factors contributing to accidents, such as road design, traffic flow, and environmental conditions. Using techniques like Zero-inflated negative binomial models (ZINB) and machine learning, these models can predict accident frequencies and severities for different road scenarios. By understanding the relationship between these factors and accidents, we can pinpoint high-risk areas and derive safe routes.

But safety shouldn't come at the cost of convenience. VRUs, in particular, are sensitive to detours. SOTERIA addresses this by developing routing algorithms that balance safety with efficiency, ensuring users aren't deterred by longer or more complex routes.

The key innovation lies in explainable AI-models, which improve prediction accuracy without relying on unrelated factors. These models enhance our ability to predict and prevent accidents, making our roads safer for everyone.

Ultimately, SOTERIA aims to empower road users with information about safe and sustainable transport options. By presenting routes in a user-friendly manner and soliciting feedback from end-users, we can create a choice architecture that promotes safer route selections. In the future, navigating our roads won't just be about getting from point A to point B—it'll be about getting there safely.

“SOTERIA partners published their first results on our novel Safe Routing algorithm for Vulnerable Road Users, at the 10thTransport Research Arena, TRA 2024, Dublin, Ireland. Maria Pohle, from Fraunhofer IVI and lead author of this publication will be presenting our work on Wednesday 17th April 2024 at 6:00-6:15 pm, in Hall 2A you can learn more about the SOTERIA project and discuss our results and approaches.”

 

This piece is authored by Maria Pohle (FIVI) and Dorine Matzakou (INTRA).