Impact of the European Research projects on Passive Safety

Piece below is written by Simona Roka, Applus + IDIADA

Since the 1960s, passive safety systems have been progressively introduced into vehicles, beginning with the enhancement of passenger compartments and safety cages. The 1970s saw the addition of safety belts and crumple zones, followed by head restraints, frontal airbags, and side impact protection in the 2000s. These advancements have contributed to a significant reduction in road fatalities over the decades.

Driven by the Vision Zero initiative, aiming for zero traffic fatalities, extensive collaboration between researchers, car manufacturers, restraint system suppliers, research institutions, and crash laboratories has led to groundbreaking vehicle safety improvements. This has expanded to include vulnerable road users and considerations of different anthropometries and genders, reflecting the complexity of modern traffic scenarios.

European projects have played a crucial role in shaping new safety protocols. For instance, the IMVITER project, launched in 2009, laid the groundwork for virtual testing procedures, with principles from this project being incorporated into consumer testing protocols for 2024. Similarly, recognizing the increased vulnerability of the aging population, the SENIORS project formed a strong consortium to address this issue, and its findings will influence Euro NCAP’s virtual testing protocols for frontal load cases in 2026.

Following IMVITER, projects like OSCCAR, which explored far-side impact protection, and PIONEERS, which focused on powered two-wheelers, continued to shape safety standards. Meanwhile, VIRTUAL provided open-source Human Body Models and continues to impact forums such as Euro NCAP and the UN-ECE Equitable Occupant Protection group. SAFE-UP, where I led passive safety efforts, built on these advances, integrating Human Body Models and pre-crash safety measures into future vehicle assessments.

My journey began far before I have participated in the EU funded project as I have worked several years in the industry, developing restraint systems, simulating and testing vehicles and evaluating injuries caused by them. As I leaned more and more towards future challenges, I became involved in the OSCCAR and PIONEERS projects, where I acted as passive safety advisor and analysed tests, simulations, and proposed countermeasures to improve vehicle safety. My experience in these projects prepared me for greater responsibilities, and in the SAFE-UP project, I took on the role of work package leader, overseeing the development of passive safety systems.

After successfully leading the passive safety work in SAFE-UP, I coordinated the proposal for IMPROVA, a project focused on reducing not only fatalities but also the serious and mild injuries linked to long-term consequences. Alongside this, I have embarked on a doctorate in injury biomechanics, deepening my research in the field of road safety.

These projects and my journey demonstrate how European research has continually driven advancements in vehicle safety, supported by funding from the European Commission. The EC is also addressing new challenges related to serious injuries and their long-term effects by funding initiatives like IMPROVA and ProtAct-Us, ensuring a holistic approach to road safety that goes beyond reducing fatalities to also mitigate long-term injury consequences