Human Factors in Road Safety and Mobility, 2nd Edition

A special issue of Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2026 | Viewed by 2421

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Psychology Department, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
Interests: human factors in transportation and medical systems; social interactions; intelligent systems; human–automation interaction; intelligent virtual agents
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There have been a lot of changes and shifts in how we think about vehicles, modes of transportation, personal mobility, roadway safety, and infrastructure in recent years. In many ways, these changes are related to the increased automation and safety features in the transportation ecosystems, the introduction of micro-mobility transportation modes (e.g., e-scooters), and the desire to enhance transportation equity and accessibility. Emerging transportation technologies (e.g., electric vehicles) and services (e.g., shared mobility) have also changed how we commute and travel, and even the decisions about where to live.

No matter how smart or intelligent our transportation technologies, vehicles, roads, and infrastructure become, human users will still interact with these systems and machines. Even though humans are flexible, we still have physical, cognitive, and mental limitations on how much information and how many interfaces we can handle.

Therefore, the special issue focuses on human users and the human factors considered in transportation safety and mobility. We welcome original research articles based on quantitative, qualitative, or mixed-methods, concept and review articles, and analysis of datasets. We especially encourage student-led research efforts. 

The topics of this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:

  • Vehicle safety;
  • Pedestrian safety;
  • Safety of vulnerable road users;
  • Safety of e-mobility users;
  • Personal mobility;
  • Mobility for underserved populations;
  • Inclusive mobility;
  • Social interactions on the road;
  • Pedestrian-vehicle conflict;
  • Human factors and advanced driver-assistance systems;
  • Human factors and vehicle communication systems;
  • Human–machine interface for vehicles and road users;
  • Multimodal interface design for vehicles and road users;
  • Wearable technologies for transportation;
  • Smart infrastructure;
  • Intelligent transportation systems;
  • Driver monitoring systems;
  • Intelligent virtual driver companions;
  • Public acceptance of automated vehicles and emerging transportation technologies;
  • Safety-related interventions.

Dr. Yi-Ching Lee
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Safety is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • roadway safety
  • mobility
  • inclusive mobility
  • human factors
  • automation
  • intelligent transportation systems

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

9 pages, 558 KB  
Article
Prospective Analysis of the Benefits of Driver Safety Training for e-Scooter Drivers—A Comparison Between First-Time Drivers and Experienced Drivers
by Philipp Zehnder, Frederik Aasen-Hartz, Markus Schwarz, Tobias Resch, Kai von Schwarzenberg, Peter Biberthaler, Chlodwig Kirchhoff and Michael Zyskowski
Safety 2026, 12(1), 12; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety12010012 - 20 Jan 2026
Viewed by 616
Abstract
Background: Since the introduction of rental e-scooters, they have become a popular mode of transportation not only in German cities but in other cities as well. However, this rapid increase in usage has coincided with a significant rise in associated injuries and accidents, [...] Read more.
Background: Since the introduction of rental e-scooters, they have become a popular mode of transportation not only in German cities but in other cities as well. However, this rapid increase in usage has coincided with a significant rise in associated injuries and accidents, outpacing those related to bicycles. A disproportionate number of these incidents involve alcohol consumption and young people under the age of 25, with a low incidence of helmet use. Following the example of driver training for children on bicycles, we carried out driver safety training with e-scooters and examined the results scientifically. Methods: The study conducted three voluntary driving safety training sessions in Berlin and Munich, with participants completing questionnaires before and after the training to measure their knowledge and skills (on a scale between 0 and 5; 0 = totally insecure and 5 = absolutely secure). The training included a technical introduction, practical exercises, and an educational component on injury data and prevention strategies. During the statistical analysis, the novice drivers (group 1) were compared to the non-novice drivers (group 2). Results: Out of 136 participants, 103 completed the training (a response rate of 75.7%). The mean age of the participants was 37.1 years, and 52.4% of them were female. A total of 59% had never used an e-scooter and were therefore assigned to group 1 (group 2 = experienced drivers). Both groups showed significant improvements in both knowledge of traffic laws and driving skills. Conclusions: The findings suggest that driving safety training potentially enhances the safe operation of e-scooters. However, the training demands a high level of time and motivation, making it less attractive for younger drivers who are most prone to accidents. Therefore, we recommend the use of digital driving safety training before the first use of e-scooters. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Factors in Road Safety and Mobility, 2nd Edition)
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