The automotive industry is chugging along towards full autonomy, with a yet unknown time of arrival. The next call, however, is partial driving automation. At this interim station lurks many dangers, there-among them issues surrounding the partial performance of the driving task. Despite their potential for increased safety, these systems come with many inherent limitations and caveats, and their safe use depend on drivers correctly understanding their new role. Training is proposed as a potentially effective method of introducing drivers to the central aspects in this human-automation interaction. A proof-of-concept training program designed to introduce drivers to a partial automation system was developed. The effects of training were then evaluated through a between-group mixed-methods simulator experiment. Results indicate that trained drivers both self-report and exhibit an improved understanding of the automation system. They also report a significantly higher inclination to retake control in critical situation, than do their untrained counterparts. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd

Road traffic injuries and loss of life is one of the major global health problems today with 1.24 million people killed annually, i.e. one person every 25 s is killed in a road crash. Many countries have learnt to mitigate the problems associated with road traffic crashes but there is still much more to be done. Estimates indicate that, unless action is taken over the next 15 years, the number of annual fatalities in road crashes may rise to 2.4 million, with the increase occurring in low and middle-income countries.

There is a great necessity for global cooperation to stop the growth of traffic fatalities. To reverse this trend, knowledge, information and experience from success stories and good practice must be shared. Road Safety on Five Continents (RS5C) is an international conference aiming at increasing road safety globally by providing a platform for this essential knowledge exchange and helping the participating countries to find a good balance between road safety and mobility.

The foundation of the RS5C is in state of the art research and good practice. By providing a mutual ground for sharing knowledge and a forum to discuss mutual problems and their solutions, researchers, officials and other stakeholders can learn from results, experiences and success stories.

RS5C aims to be a leading source of research results, information and interaction in the road transport area with a focus on safety and health associated with road transport. This aim is accomplished by cooperation with local as well as global organisations to ensure that RS5C meets local needs with global state of the art. Moreover, RS5C will produce papers of high scientific quality that are open and accessible for everyone.

The 12 peer-reviewed papers in this special issue cover a wide range of topics, demonstrating a broad spectrum of road safety issues from motorized to non-motorized road users, as well as vehicle, road and environmental conditions.

There has been a rapid development of self-driving vehicles and the discussion have over the last years gone from the visionary discussion on the implications this may have on our society to the more practical discussion on implementation and what roles and responsibilities the involved actors have. The discussion nowadays is also focusing on connected vehicles and how to deal with the huge amount of data they will produce as much as on the vehicles themselves. Most vehicle manufacturers are now promising vehicles with advanced self-driving functionalities within the next 2-3 years, and connected vehicles are already being rolled out. These vehicles are primarily connected to an manufacturer specific cloud allowing for instance a Volvo to communicate and warn other Volvo’s of potential hazards. There is however no framework in place to allow for communication between different vehicle manufacturers or between vehicle manufacturers and Road operators.

In the EU project NordicWay an interchange server allowing communication between vehicles from different manufacturers to communicate seamlessly with each other as well as surrounding infrastructure and road operators cross border have been build, implemented and successfully tested. The project has demonstrated the functionality of this communication channel by the services road works warning (TMA-trucks (Truck Mounted Attenuator) in operation), hazardous location warning (vehicles with activated hazard lights), and slippery roads warning (vehicles with ESP or ABS activation). The project has demonstrated this in the border area between Sweden and Norway as well as Sweden and Denmark showing that the communication works cross brand as well as cross border.

Now that many of the technical issues with this kind of interchange server have been solved and the work is now focusing on industrial implementation, the practical and administrative issues are far from solved. These issues concern who will build, run and operate the interchange server, who will have access to data, what data and who will pay for this. The distinction between the public commitment in comparison with the private initiatives are yet to be solved.

This study aims to identify the tasks, the services and the digital infrastructure that need to be in place as well as legal and administrative framework required for the implementation of connected and automated vehicles. This work will also highlight where there is agreement between the actors and where there is a disagreement and thereby identifying the criticalities in terms of implementation.

This paper builds our knowledge of truck driver behaviour in and experience of automated truck platooning, focusing on the effect of partially and fully automated truck platoons on driver workload, trust, acceptance, performance, and sleepiness.

Twenty-four male drivers experienced three conditions in a truck driving simulator, i.e., baseline, partial automation, and full automation: the baseline condition was driving with standard cruise control; partial automation was automated longitudinal control ten metres behind the truck in front, with the driver having to steer; and full automation was automated longitudinal and lateral control. Each condition was simulated in three situations: light traffic, heavy traffic, and heavy traffic plus fog.

The experiment demonstrated that automation affects workload. For all workload measures, partial automation produced higher workload than did the full-automation or baseline condition. The two measures capturing trust were consistent and indicated that trust was highest under the baseline condition, with little difference between partial and full automation. Driver acceptance of both levels of automation was lower than acceptance of baseline. Drivers rated their situation awareness higher for both partial and full automation than for baseline, although both levels of automation led to higher sleepiness.

The challenge when implementing truck platooning is to develop a system, including human–machine interaction (HMI), that does not overburden the driver, properly addresses driver sleepiness, and satisfies current legislation. The system also must be trusted and accepted by drivers. To achieve this, the development of well-designed HMI will be crucial.

Elvägar, där el överförs kontinuerligt till fordon på vägen, kan vara ett sätt att nå målet om en fossiloberoende transportsektor. För att testa och utvärdera elvägar och elfordon på elvägar i ett tidigt stadium utvecklades en demonstrationsmiljö i körsimulator. En studie genomfördes med 25 förare där varje förare fick köra en 40 kilometer lång vägsträcka, dels med en hybridlastbil på elväg, dels med en konventionell lastbil utan elväg. Körning på elväg uppvisade inga anmärkningsvärda skillnader på förarens upplevelser vad gäller säkerhet och estetik eller körbeteende jämfört med körning utan elväg. Undantaget var medelhastigheten vilken var cirka 2 kilometer/timme högre på elväg. Energianvändningen var cirka 35 procent lägre på elväg. För att sprida projektresultatet till aktörer och intressenter av elvägar har ett stort antal demonstrationer genomförts, samt kommunikation via pressreleaser och tidningsartiklar. Det har även tagits fram en mindre, mobil körsimulator för elvägar som ett led i att nå ut till en större målgrupp.

Electric road systems, ERS, where vehicles receive electricity continuously while driving, could be a way to reach the target of a fossil-free transport sector. A demonstration environment in a driving simulator was developed in order to test and evaluate ERS concepts and electric vehicles driving on ERS. A user study was conducted, where 25 drivers drove a 40 kilometre long route, both with a hybrid truck on ERS and with a conventional truck with no ERS. Driving on ERS showed no remarkable difference on driver’s experience of safety and aestethics or the driving behaviour compared to no ERS. The exception was average speed which was 2 kilometres/hour higher when driving on ERS. The energy consumption decreased 35 per cent on ERS. In order to disseminate project results to actors and potential users of ERS, a large number of simulator demonstrations have been conducted. There has also been a press release and a number of magazine articles. In addition, a portable ERS driving simulator was constructed and used in order to reach a broader public.

The purpose of this work has been to investigate how the driving simulator performs at the handling limit of a vehicle and improve its function so that the simulator feels and behaves more like a real vehicle when driving on the limit. Tests were performed with a Volvo S40, the same vehicle model for which the driving simulator vehicle dynamics model is based upon. Based on these test results the vehicle model that is currently used in VTI’s driving simulator III was modified in order to better simulate vehicle characteristics when driving on the handling limit. A method for validation of handling characteristics was developed. The method is based on the double lane change manoeuvre, and comprise a subjective and an objective part. The method was regarded to work well, and the validation tests showed that the modified vehicle model closer captures the understeer and time lag properties of a real Volvo S40 compared to the original model. Still, additional improvements need to be made before the model can be regarded as fully useful for on-the-limit driving situations.

Körsimulatorstudier som involverar körning på gränsen till fordonets förmåga (handling-gränsen) behöver fordonsmodeller som på ett korrekt sätt kan modellera dessa situationer. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att undersöka hur VTI:s körsimulator presterar vid körning på gränsen till fordonets förmåga och att förbättra dess funktion så att simulatorn i högre grad upplevs och beter sig som ett riktigt fordon i denna situation. Tester utfördes med en Volvo S40, samma fordon som simulatorns fordonsmodell är baserad på. Utifrån resultaten från dessa tester modifierades fordonsmodellen i VTI:s körsimulator III för att bättre kunna simulera körning på handling-gränsen. En metod för validering av handling-egenskaper togs fram. Metoden är baserad på double lane change manövern, och består av en subjektiv och en objektiv del. Metoden ansågs fungera väl, och valideringstesterna visar att den modifierade fordonsmodellen bättre beskriver understyrningskarakteristik och tidsrespons hos en riktig Volvo S40 jämfört med den ursprungliga modellen. Dock behövs ytterligare förbättringar av modellen innan den kan anses som fullt användbar vid limit handling.

The paper describes a validation model for both subjective and objective comparison of on-the-limit properties of a driving simulator. VTI moving base driving simulator, SIM III, has been used with three different versions of VTI’s vehicle model, for validation toward field tests involving double lane change manoeuvres. Methods for handling evaluation suggested in the literature were adapted to our circumstances. The results are encouraging, although we found some limitations with respect to the objective evaluations that need to be addressed in future studies.

The use of mobile phone and similar devices while driving has been a topic of discussion and research for several years. It is now an established fact that driving performance is deteriorated due to distraction but no clear conclusions can yet be drawn concerning influence on crash rates. Better studies on this relationship is needed. Most countries in Europe and many countries elsewhere have introduced different types of bans for handheld devices. Sweden has, however, no such bans. VTI was commissioned by the Swedish Government to outline possible means to reduce the dangerous usage of mobile phones and other communication devices while driving as alternatives to banning. This task was a result of a previous VTI-state-of-the-art review of research on mobile phone and other communication device usage while driving. One of the findings in the review was that bans on handheld phones did not appear to reduce the number of crashes.

Eighteen different countermeasures in three main areas were suggested. (1) Technical solutions such as countermeasures directed towards the infrastructure, the vehicle and the communication device. (2) Education and information, describing different ways to increase knowledge and understanding among stakeholders and different driver categories. (3) Different possibilities for how society, industry and organisations can influence the behaviour of individuals, via policies, rules, recommendations and incentives. Our conclusion is that a combination of different countermeasures is needed – where education and information to the drivers are combined with support and incentives for a safe usage of different communication devices.

Rattfylleri är ett av de största trafiksäkerhetsproblemen i Sverige. I den här artikeln ges en översikt över den senaste tidens forskning vad gäller problemets omfattning, attityder till att köra rattfull och de åtgärder som erbjuds. Genomgången, som avser svenska förhållanden, visar att vi har mer kunskap om rattfylleri med avseende på alkohol än med avseende på droger. Forskningen visar att alkoholrattfylleri är ett större trafiksäkerhetsproblem än drograttfylleri men att även drograttfylleri är förenat med stora risker. Det är därför viktigt att förbättra kunskapen om droger i trafiken. Det är också viktigt att beakta att det bakom många rattfylleribrott finns människor med missbruksproblem och att rehabilitering därför bör ingå som en del av trafiksäkerhetsarbetet.

Denna rapport behandlar tänkbara åtgärder för att reducera farligt användande av mobiltelefon och annan kommunikationsutrustning under körning. En viktig del i uppdraget var att belysa alternativ till lagstiftning om förbud. Åtgärdsförslagen täcker flera områden. Ett av dem är teknik, vilket innefattar både teknik i fordonet, teknik i kommunikationsutrustningen och en sammankoppling med infrastrukturen. Ett annat område handlar om utbildning och information och beskriver olika sätt att öka människans kunskap och förståelse. Ett tredje område belyser olika möjligheter som samhället har att påverka människans beteende, både via förbud och lagar och via incitament. En lista över samtliga åtgärdsförslag finns på rapportens baksida. Det finns både för- och nackdelar med användandet av kommunikationsutrustning under körning. Hur användandet ska hanteras är ett komplext problem och det är osannolikt att en enskild åtgärd står för hela lösningen. En åtgärd kan till och med vara beroende av att andra åtgärder redan är implementerade. Många åtgärder har en baksida och man kan inte förvänta sig tydliga målbilder och rakt igenom positiva resultat. Man måste därför lyfta blicken och inse att om fördelarna överväger nackdelarna så är åtgärden värd att genomföra. Olika åtgärder kan dock stärka varandra och delvis fånga upp möjliga negativa sidoeffekter. Vi anser att en kombination av olika åtgärder som dels utbildar och informerar och dels stöttar föraren i att kunna hantera kommunikation på ett säkert sätt är att föredra över ett förbud av användningen av kommunikationsutrustning under färd likt det som idag finns i andra europeiska länder. En kontinuerlig uppföljning och utvärdering krävs för att säkerställa att åtgärderna har förväntad effekt.

This report outlines possible means to reduce the dangerous usage of mobile phones and other communication devices while driving. An important aspect of this commission was to demonstrate alternatives to legislation. The suggested countermeasures cover several areas. One is technical solutions, including countermeasures directed towards the infrastructure, the vehicle and the communication device. Another area includes education and information and describes different ways to increase knowledge and understanding. Furthermore, there are different possibilities for how society can influence the behaviour of individuals, both via bans, recommendations and incentives. The usage of communication devices while driving has both advantages and disadvantages. How to deal with device usage is a complex problem, and it is unlikely that one single countermeasure can provide a complete solution. One countermeasure may even depend on the implementation of others. The exact effect of most countermeasures is hard to predict, and possible side effects may occur. It is therefore necessary to be pragmatic, meaning that countermeasures whose advantages outweigh their disadvantages should be implemented. Also, different countermeasures can reinforce each other which may attenuate negative side effects. It is our opinion that a combination of different countermeasures – which educate and inform the driver while at the same time support him or her in a safe usage of communication devices – is preferable to a law against communication device usage while driving. Continuous follow-ups are necessary to ensure the outcome of implemented countermeasures.