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Vehicles
Around half of all those killed and injured on the roads are car occupants, while users of two-wheel motor vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists each account for 10 to 20 percent. In view of that, one focus of the work of the UDV is therefore the analysis of car accidents and identification of measures that can be taken to prevent accidents (see the chapter on driver assistance systems) and...
The safety of vulnerable road users ranks high on the political agenda. Accident numbers prove the need of vehicle related measures. It is essential to balance the calculated safety effect regarding which measure has to be applied. More and more active safety can have positive effects. These effects have to be quantified, assessed and finally checked against the accidents occurrence.
Accidents between cars and bicyclists often end with severe or fatal injuries for the cyclists. During the last decade the number of fatally injured bicyclists dropped, but the relative share of bicyclists increased significantly. In German cities the share of bicyclists in traffic rises. This is the reason why the safety of bicyclists in traffic ranks high in public awareness. Pushed by...
Modern vehicles increasingly have driver assistance systems. Driver assistance systems should have a positive effect on the number and severity of accidents by supporting the driver while conducting his driving task. However, a number of different aspects have to be taken into account when designing driver assistance systems in order to exploit their full potential.
There is a large amount of technology built into modern cars with direct or indirect relation to car safety. Although it is always there, it is often not visible. As with any technical system, there can be both benefits and risks. The chapter on technology in cars describes modern systems with relation to vehicle safety.
Accidents involving trucks often have serious or very serious consequences for the other, generally more vulnerable, party involved. However, the truck driver can also suffer serious injuries. It is therefore important that the safety of both parties is taken into account in order to have a positive impact on the accident statistics. Active safety systems (driver assistance systems) are...
Buses and coaches are considered to be among the safest means of transport. Nevertheless, official statistics show that the numbers of bus and coach occupants injured and killed in accidents have not changed significantly in recent years. Although serious bus and coach accidents occur relatively rarely, they attract all the more attention when they do happen. In order to describe the current...
The risk of being killed on the roads is multiple times higher for users of motorcycles than for car drivers. Consequently, the UDV has examined accidents involving motorcycles in a number of research projects and proposed measures that would improve the safety of this vehicle category.
In addition to the research work on the safety of cars, commercial vehicles and powered two-wheelers, the UDV has also turned its attention to other types of vehicles in recent years, including e.g. vans, tractors, quad bikes, light quadricycles, electric bikes (pedelecs) and Segways. It is not possible to say how widespread these types of vehicles will become in future and thus make statements...