Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety

A special issue of Vehicles (ISSN 2624-8921).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2025 | Viewed by 4191

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Urban Engineering, Chungbuk National University, Cheongju 28644, Republic of Korea
Interests: traffic safety; big data analytics; digital infrastructure for traffic accident investigation

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
Interests: arterial safety; traffic operation; signal optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In an ever-evolving world in which transportation is the backbone of economic growth and societal connectivity, it is crucial that safety is ensured. This Special Issue aims to present cutting-edge research, innovative technologies, and forward-thinking strategies that enhance the safety of transportation. This journal serves as a platform for experts, researchers, and practitioners to share their insights and findings on (1) accident prevention, (2) the management of traffic incidents, (3) emergency response, (4) smart infrastructure for traffic safety, (5) autonomous vehicle systems, (6) AI systems, and (7) data-driven approaches to enhancing safety. Papers that address other topics related to traffic safety are also welcome. By exploring these novel solutions, this Special Issue aims to foster a safer, more reliable transportation network, ultimately contributing to the well-being of communities worldwide.

Dr. Tai-Jin Song
Dr. Yao Cheng
Guest Editors

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. Vehicles 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 1600 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

  • vehicle safety
  • autonomous vehicle
  • data-driven approach
  • incident management

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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35 pages, 15234 KiB  
Article
Assessment of the Potential of a Front Brake Light to Prevent Crashes and Mitigate the Consequences of Crashes at Junctions
by Ernst Tomasch, Bernhard Kirschbaum and Wolfgang Schubert
Vehicles 2025, 7(2), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles7020040 - 29 Apr 2025
Abstract
Safe vehicles are an important pillar in reducing the number of accidents or mitigating the consequences of a collision. Although the number of autonomous safety systems in vehicles is increasing, retrofitted systems could also help reduce road accidents. A new retrofit assistance system [...] Read more.
Safe vehicles are an important pillar in reducing the number of accidents or mitigating the consequences of a collision. Although the number of autonomous safety systems in vehicles is increasing, retrofitted systems could also help reduce road accidents. A new retrofit assistance system called Front Brake Light (FBL) helps the driver to assess the intentions of other road users. This system is mounted at the front of the vehicle and works similarly to the rear brake lights. The objective of this study is to evaluate the safety performance of an FBL in real accidents at junctions. Depending on the type of accident, between 7.5% and 17.0% of the accidents analysed can be prevented. A further 9.0% to 25.5% could be positively influenced by the FBL; i.e., the collision speed could be reduced. If the FBLs were visible to the driver of the priority vehicle, the number of potentially avoidable accidents would increase to a magnitude of 11.5% to 26.2%. The range of accidents in which the consequences can be reduced increases to between 13.8% and 39.2%. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety)
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26 pages, 3977 KiB  
Article
Enhancing Traffic Accident Severity Prediction: Feature Identification Using Explainable AI
by Jamal Alotaibi
Vehicles 2025, 7(2), 38; https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles7020038 - 28 Apr 2025
Viewed by 192
Abstract
The latest developments in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have greatly enhanced the comfort and safety of drivers. These technologies can identify driver abnormalities like fatigue, inattention, and impairment, which are essential for averting collisions. One of the important aspects of this technology [...] Read more.
The latest developments in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) have greatly enhanced the comfort and safety of drivers. These technologies can identify driver abnormalities like fatigue, inattention, and impairment, which are essential for averting collisions. One of the important aspects of this technology is automated traffic accident detection and prediction, which may help in saving precious human lives. This study aims to explore critical features related to traffic accident detection and prevention. A public US traffic accident dataset was used for the aforementioned task, where various machine learning (ML) models were applied to predict traffic accidents. These ML models included Random Forest, AdaBoost, KNN, and SVM. The models were compared for their accuracies, where Random Forest was found to be the best-performing model, providing the most accurate and reliable classification of accident-related data. Owing to the black box nature of ML models, this best-fit ML model was executed with explainable AI (XAI) methods such as LIME and permutation importance to understand its decision-making for the given classification task. The unique aspect of this study is the introduction of explainable artificial intelligence which enables us to have human-interpretable awareness of how ML models operate. It provides information about the inner workings of the model and directs the improvement of feature engineering for traffic accident detection, which is more accurate and dependable. The analysis identified critical features, including sources, descriptions of weather conditions, time of day (weather timestamp, start time, end time), distance, crossing, and traffic signals, as significant predictors of the probability of an accident occurring. Future ADAS technology development is anticipated to be greatly impacted by the study’s conclusions. A model can be adjusted for different driving scenarios by identifying the most important features and comprehending their dynamics to make sure that ADAS systems are precise, reliable, and suitable for real-world circumstances. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety)
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27 pages, 7093 KiB  
Article
Integration of Visible Light Communication, Artificial Intelligence, and Rerouting Strategies for Enhanced Urban Traffic Management
by Manuela Vieira, Gonçalo Galvão, Manuel A. Vieira, Mário Véstias, Pedro Vieira and Paula Louro
Vehicles 2024, 6(4), 2106-2132; https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles6040103 - 11 Dec 2024
Viewed by 1428
Abstract
This study combines Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance traffic signal control, reduce congestion, and improve safety, through real-time monitoring and dynamic traffic management. Leveraging VLC technology, the system uses existing road infrastructure to transmit live data on vehicle [...] Read more.
This study combines Visible Light Communication (VLC) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enhance traffic signal control, reduce congestion, and improve safety, through real-time monitoring and dynamic traffic management. Leveraging VLC technology, the system uses existing road infrastructure to transmit live data on vehicle and pedestrian positions, speeds, and queues. AI agents, employing Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL), process this data to manage traffic flows dynamically, applying anti-bottleneck and rerouting techniques to balance pedestrian and vehicle waiting times. A centralized global agent coordinates the local agents controlling each intersection, enabling indirect communication and data sharing to train a unified DRL model. This model makes real-time adjustments to traffic light phases, utilizing a queue/request/response system for adaptive intersection management. Tested using simulations and real-world trials involving standard and rerouting scenarios, the approach demonstrates significantly better performance in regard to the rerouting configuration, reducing congestion and enhancing traffic flow and pedestrian safety. Scalable and adaptable to various intersection types, including four-way, T-intersections, and roundabouts, the system’s efficacy is validated using the SUMO urban mobility simulator, resulting in notable reductions to travel and waiting times for both vehicles and pedestrians. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety)
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13 pages, 10679 KiB  
Article
Work-in-Progress Report: Intelligent Traffic Road Weather and Safety Services for Heavy Vehicles
by Timo Sukuvaara, Kari Mäenpää, Hannu Honkanen, Ari Pikkarainen, Marjo Hippi and Virve Karsisto
Vehicles 2024, 6(4), 2031-2043; https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles6040100 - 28 Nov 2024
Viewed by 751
Abstract
Accidents involving heavy road vehicles are often destructive, causing operational losses, human casualties, infrastructure losses, and negative environmental impacts. The risk is especially high in wintertime traffic. The Eureka Xecs SafeTrucks project (Heavy traffic safety improvements by advanced dynamics and road weather services) [...] Read more.
Accidents involving heavy road vehicles are often destructive, causing operational losses, human casualties, infrastructure losses, and negative environmental impacts. The risk is especially high in wintertime traffic. The Eureka Xecs SafeTrucks project (Heavy traffic safety improvements by advanced dynamics and road weather services) develops real-time vehicle-specific weather and safety services tailored to each vehicle, based on the vehicle’s own sensor-based observations combined with data from weather service systems and an analysis of the vehicle’s own dynamics. The services will also be analyzed by Digital Twin modeling in Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) and Driver-In-the-Loop (DIL) scenarios, in order to evaluate and refine them in a controlled environment. This paper focuses on operative fleet piloting, while the Digital Twin approach will be presented in future work. The pilot services are ultimately tested in a pilot system within operative heavy traffic. This paper presents the concept and architecture of the platform, with preliminary results of pilot services operation, alternative communication analysis, and system evaluation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety)
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Review

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15 pages, 1041 KiB  
Review
Assessment of Road Vehicle Accident Approaches—A Review
by Irina Duma, Nicolae Burnete, Adrian Todoruț, Nicolae Cordoș, Cosmin-Constantin Danci and Alexandru Terec
Vehicles 2025, 7(1), 10; https://doi.org/10.3390/vehicles7010010 - 27 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1118
Abstract
Given the complexity of the crashes and the increasing interest in public policies related to the reduction in both accidents and fatalities from road crashes, the proposed review of the specialty literature may serve as a starting point for individuals interested in developing [...] Read more.
Given the complexity of the crashes and the increasing interest in public policies related to the reduction in both accidents and fatalities from road crashes, the proposed review of the specialty literature may serve as a starting point for individuals interested in developing studies related to road vehicle accidents, reconstruction methodologies, assessment of vehicles crashworthiness, as well as evaluation of occupants’ behavior in different collision scenarios. Therefore, the present paper aims to offer a comprehensive overview of the specialty literature approaches in terms of road vehicle accidents through an analysis of the reconstruction methods used in the cases of vehicle-to-vehicle or vehicle-to-object crashes, as well as ways in which the crashworthiness of road vehicles is assessed by specialized organizations or individual experts. The addressed topics were summarized from a range of European and global strategies in the field of transportation, reports, testing protocols, as well as scientific research papers published in international databases. The main purpose of the present paper is to serve as a foundational resource for researchers and practitioners seeking to contextualize their work within a global framework. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Novel Solutions for Transportation Safety)
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