From December 2nd to 4th, the IMPROVA consortium met in Cologne, Germany, for the second General Assembly. Held at the Federal Highway Research Institute (BASt), the three-day event provided an invaluable opportunity for the consortium to review progress, discuss advancements, and chart the course for the upcoming year.
Advancing Road Safety Research
The IMPROVA project focuses on understanding the long-term consequences (LTC) of road accidents. By leveraging cutting-edge virtual testing (VT) and Human Body Models (HBM), the project assesses LTC risks for all road users. The ultimate goal is to improve road safety and reduce the physical and psychological impacts of traffic incidents.
IMPROVA consortium at the BASt Crash Test Facility
During the assembly, participants engaged in general and work package-specific meetings to review the project’s progress and the achievements of each work package. The discussions and presentations centred on the preliminary literature review overview of the long-term consequences (physical and psychological), as well as additional discussions on evaluating current LTC assessment procedures and methods and improved tools to address these challenges.
The assembly also featured a dedicated communication and dissemination workshop to foster stakeholder collaboration. This session underscored the importance of multi-stakeholder engagement to ensure the long-term impact of the project and effective dissemination of findings.
IMPROVA Consortium working in Work Packages for the communication and dissemination workshop
A Visit to the BASt Crash Test Facility
A highlight of the event was a visit to BASt’s crash test facility. As an accredited Euro NCAP test laboratory, BASt conducts a range of safety evaluations, including frontal, side, pole impact, and whiplash crash tests. This visit gave consortium members insights into the rigorous scientific methodologies used to enhance active and passive vehicle safety.
📷 Source: Federal Highway Research Institute – BASt
The IMPROVA consortium extends its heartfelt thanks to BASt for hosting this significant event. As we look ahead to 2025, the consortium remains committed to pushing the boundaries of road safety research, fostering innovation, and making a lasting impact on reducing the long-term consequences of road traffic accidents.
