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DaCoTA

Road safety Data Collection, Transfer and Analysis

 

Purpose of the project
The purpose of the European 7th framework project DaCoTA is to make road safety data and knowledge and methods for data collection and processing available to policy makers and other stakeholders in Europe. Methods that have been developed in previous projects are used as much as possible. The collection of road safety data makes use of the guidelines that were drawn up in the SafetyNet project. In addition to these core activities, DaCoTA also comprises the work package Naturalistic Driving Observations, in which data about 'European’ drivers in traffic is collected in an innovating way.

 

SWOV contribution
SWOV has an important role in DaCoTA, among others as the leader of the work package Naturalistic Driving Observations. The purpose of this work package is to develop a method for collecting reliable, Europe-wide data on exposure and about a large number of performance indicators like speed behaviour, seat belt wearing, and daytime running lights. An additional purpose is to collect information about near-misses and the underlying factors, as a supplement to the traditional crash data. In Naturalistic Driving Observations drivers and their every day traffic behaviour are studied as discretely as possible by means of sensors and (possibly) cameras inside the vehicle.


SWOV also coordinates the development of instruments that can be used to make the large quantity of data and knowledge that DaCoTA yields accessible and usable. Furthermore, SWOV works on the development and application of a composite road safety index, based on the earlier SUNflower studies. Such an index gives a first impression of how a country performs in comparison with other countries, and can thus create a sense of urgency at the highest (political) level. Underlying data and analyses then offer insight in how a country's specific score has been compiled. This insight can serve as input for policy to further improve road safety.

 

Duration
DaCoTA started on 1 January 2010 and has a duration of 2.5 years.

 

Website
The website http://www.dacota-project.eu/ will be operational shortly.

 

Knowledge base