Driving a vehicle is considered a demanding task in a complex dynamic environment. For instance, driving a vehicle on urban roads, where motorized vehicles meet vulnerable road users (VRUs) creates a multifaceted environment with difficult trade-offs and interactions. Additionally, in-vehicle technology developments are being introduced to ease drivers with the driving task. However, these developments are changing “traditional” driving increasing drivers’ response in terms of information processing, thus making the driving task more demanding in some respects. Therefore, the aim of the present research is to further investigate drivers’ speed choice under varying traffic management regulations and in-vehicle warning systems. / <p>QC 20131114</p> / New Speed Limits in Built-Up Areas / COOPERS

Since the introduction of motor vehicles, the number of fatalities and accidents has been a concern for society.The number of fatalities on roads is amongst the most common causes of mortality worldwide (WHO, 2015).Even in industrialized countries the number of fatalities remains unacceptable. Therefore, in the last decades, anumber of approaches have emerged to support and boost traffic safety towards a system free from fatalities andserious impairment outcomes. ‘Sustainable Safety’ and ‘Vision Zero’ are well-known examples aiming to avoidfatalities within the traffic system and reduce injury severity when a traffic accident is inevitable. However, thenumber of fatalities and seriously injured accidents are still relatively high. More specifically, vulnerable roadusers remain involved in fatal and serious accidents even in industrialized countries. Therefore, further advancesin traffic safety studies are needed. This thesis aims at evaluating the impact of road characteristics, traffic rulesand information provision towards a safer traffic system. The thesis is composed of five scientific papers whichsummarizes the main contributions of this work. / <p>QC 20161109</p>