Safety of Vulnerable Road Users at Night

Dear Colleagues,

Vulnerable road users (VRUs), including pedestrians, cyclists, and users of other micromobility modes, face heightened safety risks at night due to reduced visibility, driver inattention, and inadequate infrastructure. Absence as well as innefective lighting make it difficult for motorists to detect VRUs, increasing the likelihood of collisions. Factors like dark clothing and low-reflective gear further diminish visibility. Additionally, impaired driving and speeding are more prevalent at night, compounding the risks. Cyclists and pedestrians often navigate poorly lit areas with insufficient or nonexistent sidewalks/crosswalks and bike lanes, forcing them into traffic. The lack of effective reflective materials or lighting on bicycles and pedestrian crossings exacerbates the dangers. Technology gaps, such as inadequate adaptive headlights and less effective vehicle detection systems, also contribute to nighttime hazards for VRUs. As such, nighttime VRU fatalities have continued to skyrocket across the world.

This Special Issue is an opportunity for researchers to publish their work focusing on improving the safety of VRUs at night. Original research developing and/or evaluating improved solutions including lighting systems, wearable visibility aids, and infrastructure are particuarly invited. Furthermore, research on advanced vehicle detection systems, as well as behavioral studies that assess how education and enforcement of nighttime traffic laws could reduce risks for VRUs, are encouraged.

Prof. Dr. Valerian Kwigizile
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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 quarterly 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.

• vulnerable road users
• micromobility modes
• nighttime visibility
• nighttime crashes
• vehicle detection systems
• lighting technology