May 12 – 13, 2027 | Frankfurt/Hanau, Germany

Program

Here you see a recap of the program of the SafetyUpDate 2026. As soon as the program of the 2027 conference is finalized, you will find it here.

Wednesday, April 15, 2026

Real World Safety - Data and Field Experience

Holistic Analysis of Accident Data for Safer Vehicles of Tomorrow
Dr.-Ing. Markus Köbe - AUDI AG
  • Use of real traffic and accident data to increase traffic safety
  • Methods and processes for gaining insights for the development of active and passive vehicle safety, as well as holistic evaluation methodology
  • Safety level of battery electric vehicles and initial findings from field testing
  • Examples of active and passive vehicle safety using the Audi Q6 e-tron from the Premium Platform Electric (PPE) as an example
Use of GIDAS Real-World Accident Data to Identify White Spots in Euro NCAP Test Protocols and Derive Robustness Test Scenarios
Henrik Liers, Thomas Unger, Robby Rößler, Theresa Weber - Verkehrsunfallforschung an der TU Dresden GmbH
  • Conversion of Euro NCAP test protocol conditions into GIDAS parameters
  • Analyses to cover current protocols in the “Safety Assist” box
  • Remaining white spots
  • Analyses of robustness (including weather, lighting conditions)

European and International Requirements

European Legal Requirements for Passive Safety
Oliver Zander - BASt - German Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute
  • Updates to Passive VRU Safety Regulations
  • Application of Passive Safety Regulations to Vehicles with ADS
  • Further Updates to Passive Safety Regulations
AEBS: New Informal Working Group to Amend Requirements for Light Vehicles
Dr.-Ing. Patrick Seiniger - BASt - German Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute
  • Current regulatory situation in different markets
  • Possible fields for improvement as discussed at GRVA
  • Scope of the new informal working group
Main Features of the New R171 Regulation on L2+Systems
Dr. Akos Kriston - European Commission
  • Performance of current systems in the EU
  • Safety benefit?
  • Hands-off driving
  • System initiated maneuvers
  • Human factors
A Global Regulation for ADS: How to Ensure Safety Through a Multilayer Approach
Espedito Rusciano - European Commission
  • Overview of the new regulation for Automated Driving Systems from level 3 to level 5,
  • Multi-pillar and Multilayer approach and life cycle approach
  • Key elements of the regulation: Safety Management System, Safety Case and In-Service Monitoring and Reporting
Progress of the Work of the Informal Working Group on Equitable Occupant Protection (IWG-EqOP)
Bernd Lorenz - BASt - German Federal Highway and Transport Research Institute

Safety of Battery Electric Vehicles

Battery Impact Safety
Alexander Dengler, Tim Weber - Mercedes-Benz AG
  • Overview of China‑specific (GB18384, C‑NCAP, C‑IASI) and Korea‑specific (KNCAP) load cases for underbody and high‑voltage battery impact safety.
  • Future challenges for upcoming vehicle and battery generations

Development Methods

An In-Door, Infinite Laboratory for Systematic ADAS/ADS Safety Validation
Xiaoying Li - Shanghai Digauto Automobile Technology Co., Ltd.
  • Scenario-based simulation and testing for ADAS/ADS function validation
  • The In-door, infinite test lab: vehicle, traffic and environment in the loop
  • Implementation examples from three labs
The New PRE-SAFE Testing
Dr.-Ing. Julien Richert - Mercedes-Benz AG
  • Currently no widespread test methodology for so-called pre-crash functions
  • Commonly used two-stage approach to develop and approve these functions: Verification of trigger time on the test track and then test with external ignition
  • Challenge: Modern sensor fusion technologies requires more realistic test objects – not every configuration can be validated by a (crash-)test
  • Description of the current approach and outlook on the improvements
Research on Safety Test and Assessment Methods for Occupants in Reclined Seats in Frontal Impacts
Peifeng Wang - Safety Technology Research Center, China Automotive Engineering Research Institute Co.,Ltd.(CAERI)
  • Reclined occupants suffer higher injury risk both in accidents and PMHS tests
  • New positioning procedures for reclined dummy based on prediction function
  • Determination of main injury criteria and their thresholds(lumbar, ilium...)
  • Comparison of Responses of HBM and ATD in Reclined Seat
  • Test and Assessment method and further HBM assessment exploration

 

Thursday, April 16, 2026

Development Methods (continued)

Robust and Valid HBM Simulation
Prof. Dr. Syn Schmitt - University of Stuttgart

Consumer Protection Requirements

Euro NCAP WG General Vehicle Controls
Dr. Ilse Harms - CBR

Euro NCAP: The Link between ADAS and Driver Status
Adriano Palao - Euro NCAP

What Is Driver Cognitive Distraction and Can We Measure It Using Camera-Based In-Vehicle Systems?
Prof. Natasha Merat - Institute for Transport Studies

Euro NCAP Rating 2029 Crash Protection incl. CRS and VRU / Rescue & Extrication
Volker Sandner - ADAC Technik Zentrum Landsberg
  • New MPDB Test
  • Use of new Dummies like THOR 5% and EvaRID
  • Pedestrian Protection
  • BEV rescue
IIHS - New Methods, New Tests, New Ratings
Becky Mueller - Insurance Institute for Highway Safety
  • IIHS 30x30 commitment
  • Accelerating commercial vehicle safety
  • Updated rear impact crashworthiness
Evolving Vehicle Safety Requirements for India
Rahul Mahajan - The Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI)

Human-Machine-Interaction

Safety First? Why Some Warnings Work and Others Fail
Dr. Sebastian Hergeth - BMW Group
  • Factors influencing warning effectiveness: Overview of Major concepts and findings.
  • The role of warnings in the broader context of hazard control
  • Takeaways for theory and application
How Long Is Too Long - Understanding Normal vs. Risky Gaze Behavior in Everyday Driving
Dr. Anja Schneider - AUDI AG
  • Overview of requirements for driver monitoring systems
  • Driver Distraction in Real Traffic: Evidence from Naturalistic Driving Data
  • Safety Benefit vs. Customer Annoyance
Advancing Multimodal Detection of Alcohol-Impaired Driving: Insights from a PhD Project
Jan-Philipp Göbel - CARIAD SE
  • Analysis of the current state of the art and key challenges in detecting driving under the influence of alcohol (DUI).
  • Execution of a data collection campaign for reliable DUI detection.
  • Comparison of various sensor technologies and detection methods for identifying alcohol impairment.
  • Development of a multimodal model for accurate DUI detection.

 

Program subject to change.