VSR 2023
Technology and people

Road Safety Report 2023

As statistics repeatedly show, humans are responsible for around 90 percent of accidents. In order to compensate to a certain extent for human inadequacies and misconduct at the wheel of a motor vehicle, the automotive industry has for years been increasingly relying on driver assistance systems that can detect critical traffic situations at an early stage, warn of dangers and, if necessary, actively intervene in events.

Technological progress through assistance systems or automated vehicle technologies undoubtedly offers the potential for greater safety. At the same time, the additional benefit of automated mobility is that it promotes the participation of people with physical or mental disabilities or people with age-related reduced capacity in social life. The fact that accidents can be avoided, or at least their consequences reduced, cannot be denied.
At the same time, however, it must be borne in mind that the complexity of the systems is increasing with the ever higher degree of automation and that people may only be able to control the technology to a limited extent. It is therefore all the more important to take into account the entire mobility system and the reciprocal dynamics of effects, but above all the reshaping of the driver's role in the human-machine-environment control loop. At the stages of assisted driving, technology should support the driver by providing information, warnings or mechanical control to help him master his driving task without placing an additional burden on him or limiting his responsibility. To do this, however, the driver must know how the driver assistance systems (DAS) and automation levels work – as well as their limits – and be committed to using them as intended. The DEKRA Road Safety Report 2023, entitled "Technology and People", addresses precisely this area of conflict and provides analyses as well as recommendations for action for safe mobility today and in the future.
Actively using the potential of automated driving
After reaching a historic low in 2020 – due in large part to covid – the number of traffic fatalities is on the rise again in many countries. The longer-term trend is undoubtedly positive. But in order to achieve the internationally pursued “Vision Zero”, all stakeholders are called upon to make the best possible use of the potential for improving road safety.
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Technology and people: a balancing act
Digitalization and automation have entered our lives and are increasingly permeating the mobility sector. The terms "highly automated driving" or "autonomous driving" are on everyone's lips and are seen as the supposed silver bullet for solving fundamental traffic problems. The challenges associated with this will be described in detail in this report.
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Read the entire 2023 Road Safety Report now!
Accidents, the human factor, technology and infrastructure – plus numerous accident examples and statements by experts from all over the world: The 2023 DEKRA Road Safety Report examines the topic of "technology and people" from different perspectives.
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