This paper presents an overview of European research concerning traffic safety. Regarding the road surface there are two main problems that the research is focused upon: a) Requirements for skidding resistance b) the development of pervious surfacings. When looking at the vehicle, most interest concerns the injury protection of occupants in collisions. Traffic safety engineering may sometime, particularly when dealing with area-wide traffic routeing and the infrastructure, verge on local and governmental policy. A great deal of work have been done in favour of vulnerable road users. Research concerning the road user deals with: human factors in accidents, public view of road safety issues, influence of road safety education and driver training. In the future research will be directed towards the applications of new technology, e.g. intelligent vehicles, route guidance systems, PROMETHEUS (Programme for European Traffic with High Efficiency and Unprecedented Safety) and DRIVE (Dedicated Road Infrastructure for safe Vehicles in Europe).
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