Current projects
Funding Body: European Union, HORIZON Program
Project Partners: University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), UTAC France (France), VICOMTECH Foundation for Visual Interaction and Communication Technologies (Spain), Ficosa Automotive, S.L.U. (Spain), EUROGAP (Spain), Fraunhofer Society for the Advancement of Applied Research (Germany), GOTECH Vehicle Development and Design Company (Germany), National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (Greece), Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi Anonim Sirketipno (Turkey), PNO Innovation SRL (Italy), Audi Aktiengesellschaft (Germany)
Contact: Dipl.-Psych. Juliane Anke
Duration: June 2026 – May 2029
SENSEI aims to improve human-machine interactions in automated vehicles and adapt them to the needs of various user groups—from novice drivers to experienced or professional drivers, as well as elderly and impaired people. Current systems often neglect the aspect of transparency and are based on individual or simplified user profiles. Within the project, adaptive solutions will be developed that address users’ needs, thereby improving both safety and user-friendliness and strengthening societal trust in automation. To this end, the solutions will be developed in close cooperation with various user groups at four European locations and validated through simulator and field studies.
SENSEI aims to help prevent accidents caused by “mode confusion” and cognitive overload in line with the EU’s “Vision Zero”, while simultaneously strengthening Europe’s leadership role in the field of safe, human-centered vehicle automation.
To this end, the Chair of Traffic and Transportation Psychology is laying the groundwork for the project by conducting a needs analysis of various user groups, identifying relevant usage scenarios, and developing a framework for the societal acceptance of the solutions developed. In addition, the Chair is developing a training concept and an online tutor to prepare various user groups for the use of driver assistance and automation.
The project is funded by the European Union’s HORIZON Science and Innovation Program under grant number 101267365.
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Sponsor: German Road Safety Council (DVR)
Contact: Dipl.-Psych. Juliane Anke, M.Sc. Simon Heintzen
Duration: December 2025 – June 2026
The aim of the project is to systematically record accidents, relevant risk factors and prevention potential in the everyday working lives of riders. To this end, the Chair of Traffic Psychology is developing a multilingual online survey that collects data on key influencing factors such as accidents and near misses, knowledge of rules, traffic acculturation, risk-relevant behaviour and suggestions for improvement from the riders' perspective. The survey is being designed in collaboration with experts from road safety, trade unions, industry representatives and riders themselves to ensure high practical relevance.
Based on the data collected, the professorship is conducting a comprehensive data-based evaluation. This ranges from descriptive analyses of accidents to statistical models that examine the relationships between various influencing factors and the risk of accidents. The results form the basis for evidence-based recommendations for action for politicians, delivery services, local authorities and prevention actors.
The project thus creates the first sound empirical basis for the road safety of riders in Germany and provides concrete starting points for how working conditions, infrastructure and traffic behaviour can be specifically improved.
Sponsor: EFRE InfraProNet 2021-2027
Project partners: Chair for Transport Systems Automation Technology (ITVS) TU Dresden, Chair for Traffic Process Automation (VPA) TU Dresden
Contact: Prof. Dr. Tibor Petzoldt, M.Sc. Simon Heintzen
Duration: Juli 2025 – Dezember 2027
The interdisciplinary research project PROTEKT aims to improve the safety of vulnerable road users (VRUs) in urban areas through modern communication technologies. The focus is on the further development and integration of V2X (Vehicle-to-Everything) technologies. By collecting and networking relevant traffic data in real time, critical situations can be identified at an early stage and preventive warnings issued.
In this project, the Chair of Traffic Psychology is investigating the perception and decision-making processes of cyclists in complex urban traffic areas – particularly at intersections where different modes of transport such as cyclists, motorised private transport and public transport converge. The focus is on how vulnerable road users (VRUs) assess risks in dynamic traffic situations, which visual, acoustic or infrastructural cues they rely on, and under what conditions dangers are overlooked. Empirical studies, such as observations in real traffic, simulations and surveys, are used to identify typical perception errors, attention patterns and risk assessments. These findings form the basis for designing V2X-based communication and warning systems in such a way that they support cyclists' decision-making processes and defuse critical situations at an early stage.
Sponsor: European Union HORIZON
Project Partners: Q-Plan International Advisors PC (Greece), Tallinn University of Technology (Estonia), University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy), Institute of Communication and Computer Systems (Greece), Algebra University (Croatia), University of Novi Sad (Serbia), Institute of Studies for the Integration of Systems (Italy), White Research SRL (Belgium), Agency for the Promotion of European Research (Italy), Region of Central Macedonia (Greece), Road Traffic Safety Agency (Serbia), Dissemination Science Communication DISSCO Lab (Switzerland), International Road Federation (Switzerland)
Contact: Dr. Tina Morgenstern, Dr. Jens Schade
Duration: July 2025 – June 2028
The EU project Roads4All promotes a positive traffic safety culture aligned with the EU’s Vision Zero objective. The project addresses road safety from a broad cultural and institutional perspective, aiming to shift attitudes and behaviors at the individual, organizational and institutional levels. To support this transformation, Roads4All develops evidence-based tools – including a traffic safety culture model of road user behavior, a framework for traffic cultural transformation and a decision support toolkit. A central element is the design, implementation and evaluation of “Living Roads” – integrated, context-sensitive, and theory-informed interventions piloted in five diverse European settings. The interventions include school education, awareness campaigns, micro-mobility and actions targeting authorities and institutions. Overall, Roads4All seeks to drive holistic change across road users, organizations, and institutions – with a particular focus on youth – to contribute to safer, more inclusive and sustainable mobility systems across Europe.
The Chair of Traffic and Transport Psychology contributes to the project by developing the traffic safety culture model of road user behavior, conducting measurements of traffic safety culture and designing and implementing evidence-based interventions within an experimental research framework.
The project is funded by the HORIZON Research and Innovation Program of the European Union under grant number 101203314.
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Sponsor: Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute
Project number: FE 03.0623/2022/GRB
Project partner: ELECTRIC-SPECIAL Photronicsysteme GmbH
Contact person: Dr.-Ing. Christoph Schulze
Duration: May 2025 – April 2027
Today, adaptive road lighting systems vary significantly in their technical features and modes of operation, largely driven by advances in the underlying technologies. Additionally, the technical specifications and requirements of these systems differ from one installation to another. To effectively address climate, emissions, and environmental protection goals, it may be counterproductive to define technical specifications individually for each installation. Instead, comprehensive operational concepts for adaptive road lighting are needed.
These concepts should incorporate at least the temporal and spatial dimensions of adaptive operation. Ideally, they should also consider factors such as traffic conditions and the functional role of the road within the broader transport network.
This project aims to identify the key components of such operational concepts, taking into account both technical and operational factors, as well as broader street lighting issues such as benefits, costs, and potential negative impacts. To achieve this, the project will include literature reviews, field studies, and workshops, among other activities.
Sponsor: Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute
Project number: FE 77.0603/2022
Contact person: Dr.-Ing. Christoph Schulze, Dr. Sven-Thomas Graupner
Duration: Juli 2024 – June 2027
Road lighting systems on streets and paths adjacent to main roads have not yet been evaluated in terms of luminance. However, such evaluation could support the development of lighting systems that better enhance visibility and traffic safety. Designing and assessing lighting based on luminance may also help reduce energy consumption and avoid excessive illumination, thereby minimizing obtrusive lighting effects and their associated environmental impacts.
This project will carry out various studies to develop and evaluate a luminance-based road lighting concept specifically tailored for areas with a 30 km/h speed limit and for cycle paths. Additionally, it will examine the combined effects of road lighting and vehicle lighting on visibility, with a focus on identifying potential solutions for adaptive lighting.