Sensing for road safety – The Greek experiment

What if your daily commute could help prevent the next road accident? In Greece, the SOTERIA project partners are turning that idea into reality – by transforming everyday courier routes into data-rich road safety laboratories.

Recent research into couriers’ road safety revealed a troubling reality: approximately 75% have been involved in a traffic accident while working, and around 60% have suffered serious consequences affecting their physical well-being. These figures highlight an urgent need for smarter, data-driven solutions to protect vulnerable road users (VRUs).

To address this issue, Cyclopolis Ltd, in collaboration with ELTA, launched an innovative pilot project. Sensor kits were developed and installed on ELTA motorbikes operating in urban environments on a daily basis. These kits are equipped with a range of sensors—including a gyroscope, Global Positioning System (GPs) sensor, particulate matter (PM) sensor, humidity sensor, and temperature sensor—designed to collect comprehensive environmental and movement data. By equipping couriers with these tools, the aim is to analyse real-world road conditions and uncover patterns related to road safety, rider health and behaviour (see also this news article on SKAI).

The project wasn’t without hurdles. Key challenges faced include both technical aspects—such as power management and reliability as well as the management, transmission, and validation of data—and managerial issues, primarily related to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance and ethical data handling. Nevertheless, the experiment’s innovative approach enabled new insights into how external conditions influence vehicle dynamics, allowing for correlations that were previously not possible.

This was the first phase of the experiment, conducted over a period of three months in Chania  and Igoumenitsa, two towns chosen for their contrasting urban profiles. These locations form the Greek Living Lab of the SOTERIA project, which aims to accelerate progress towards the EU’s Vision Zero goal, particularly for VRUs. The project’s other three Living Labs are located in Oxfordshire (United Kingdom), Saxony (Germany), and Madrid (Spain). The Greek Living Lab focuses specifically on the health and safety of micromobility users.

Building on the lessons learned from the first phase of the experiment in Greece, a second phase is set to begin in the coming months. It will expand its focus beyond motorised two-wheeler couriers to also include cyclists. Both Chania and Igoumenitsa boast vibrant cycling communities and widely used public bike-sharing systems. As such, in addition to ELTA motorbikes, public bicycles will be equipped with an enhanced version of Cyclopolis’ sensor kit.

The collected data will be processed to support the broader goals of the SOTERIA project and bring wider benefits to EU communities. By turning courier and cyclists into mobile data collectors, Greece is helping pave the way toward the EU’s Vision Zero objective of reducing road transport fatalities to near zero by 2050.

The piece has been authored by Cyclopolis.