Every year, around 460 accidents involving personal injury occur on Austria's school routes. However, accidents are only the visible tip of the problem – far more common are situations in which there is almost an accident.
The ÖAMTC mobility club has used a system developed by the AIT Austrian Institute of Technology to observe and analyze traffic in front of a school in Upper Austria. Using artificial intelligence, the “Mobility Observation Box” records (mis)behavior and makes it visible. The results can be used to identify risk areas and derive improvement measures.
The Mobility Observation Box records and classifies all types of road users automatically and anonymously. The behavior and, in particular, the speed of every moving object in the image is registered and analyzed by means of a motion line, without allowing conclusions to be drawn about persons or license plates. At approx. 15 x 20 cm, the box is very small and inconspicuous so as not to influence the behavior of road users.
“Artificial intelligence is more accurate, more objective and also able to record and evaluate various interactions taking place simultaneously,” explains Michael Aleksa, traffic researcher at AIT. Special objective parameters are used to define whether there are potential conflicts and how serious they are. “The comprehensive understanding of possible causes of accidents helps to improve safety measures without relying solely on accident data,” says the expert.
Procedure and framework conditions
In compliance with all data protection standards in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the energy self-sufficient box was mounted on a lamppost in front of an elementary school at a height of around four meters for the period from 13 to 22 May 2024. The five school days during this period were evaluated. The municipality was informed about the study in accordance with legal requirements.
Quiet does not equal safe
Almost 3,400 traffic interactions in front of the school were automatically recorded, analyzed and evaluated during this period. At 73 percent, the proportion of cars is high, which could be partly due to the adjacent kindergarten and day nursery. Pedestrians make up around 20 percent, with less than 3 percent traveling by bike or bus. The rest is made up of delivery vans and trucks. The school is located in a residential area with a 30 km/h zone.
The parking lot in front of the school building is regulated as one-way. At the bus stop opposite, a railing protects waiting children from the sidewalk or the road. The safety route is marked on both sides with vertical markings and all traffic signs around the site are clearly visible. “The traffic infrastructure in front of the school is clear and straightforward, and the surroundings are hardly distracting, even for younger children. It is easy to grasp, orderly and calm, in other words it has an exemplary design. However, the investigation has shown that numerous behavioral errors were made that are exemplary and could also occur every day in front of school locations. Many dangerous situations could be avoided if all road users were attentive and aware of their role as role models and adhered to the most important rules of the road,” emphasizes ÖAMTC traffic psychologist Marion Seidenberger.
Can you drive past a bus at a bus stop?
Car drivers often drove past the bus at the bus stop in the morning – some even after the bus had already stopped and children had got off. Only a few invested the short time and waited behind the bus. The expert urges particular caution here, as many are not aware of the current regulations. The ÖAMTC road safety educators also experience this at parents' evenings in schools and kindergartens.
The following rule applies: it is not permitted to drive past school buses – recognizable by a school bus warning sign – when the yellow-red lights are switched on and the hazard warning lights are activated – regardless of whether you are on a bicycle, motorcycle, car, bus or truck.
Although passing ordinary buses is permitted, increased caution, reduced speed and full concentration on people in the bus stop area are required. However, if the roadway passes buses and streetcars on the right, it is not permitted to drive past them at the bus stop as long as passengers are getting on and off. Once all the doors of the bus or streetcar are closed again, you may pass at walking speed. In addition, a local bus must be allowed to leave marked stops unhindered as soon as its blinker has been set.
Especially shortly before the start or end of lessons, there are always pupils on the road – often in groups – who are particularly inattentive to what is happening in the traffic environment.
In the observation study, people who stopped their vehicle in the middle of the road to let their child into the car were also noticed. Around 60 percent of car drivers adhered to the 30 km/h speed limit. A third did not keep an eye on the speedometer at a speed of up to 45 km/h, and around three percent were driving even faster. “Exceeding the speed limit in front of a school is an absolute no-go,” warns the road safety expert.
Attention, be a role model!
According to the Road Traffic Regulations (StVO), children are exempt from the principle of trust; the responsibility lies with the adult road user. This means that as a driver, you must be able to safely compensate for any unexpected behavior by children. “Even if you are allowed to pass a bus, please be aware of your responsibility and if you overtake, do so extremely slowly, attentively and carefully. And if possible, increase the distance to the side,” appeals the ÖAMTC expert and reminds: ”Adults – especially close relatives such as parents, but also teachers and caregivers – are role models. Children learn a lot by imitation and want adults to take their function as role models seriously, even if this is often not easy in the sometimes hectic everyday family life.”
Defusing danger spots
Accidents are not always caused by human error. “Road safety depends very much on how road users interact with each other and with the road infrastructure. Factors that contribute to accidents should be eliminated or at least mitigated as far as possible,” demands Harald Großauer, Regional Director of ÖAMTC Upper Austria. High walls, for example, not only make it difficult to see behind the wheel, but smaller children are also unable to see over them. But not every wall can be knocked down. “It is important to explain these danger spots to children and to practice the correct behavior with them,” says Großauer. In addition to structural measures and traffic guidance devices such as central islands or raised roadways, traffic lights, signposted and marked no-stopping and “kiss and ride” zones as well as school crossing guards can make the roads safer. Each school needs to be assessed individually, but AI can make this easier and more objective.