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There are several definitions for the term “Vulnerable road users”. In the definition of Eisses [1], vulnerability is associated to different aspects, including the absence of a protective cage such as pedestrians, cyclists and Powered Two-Wheelers (PTW), physical vulnerability (elderly, children, disabled), the lack of skills to safely participate in traffic (persons with little driving experience, elderly drivers) and sub-optimal traffic behaviour and attitude of the participant (e.g. drunken driving). During the past decade substantial progress has been made in improving road safety. Between 2006 and 2015 the total number of road fatalities has been reduced by 40%, however the reduction has been less for VRUs (pedestrians 36%, cyclists 27%, motorcycles 28%, mopeds 57%) [2]. The total share of VRUs in road fatalities in the EU is 46%, with pedestrians 21% and PTW riders and occupants 18% [2]. During the past years the decrease for all road users is stagnating, and the European Commission has issued a Strategic Action Plan on Road Safety [3]. One of the potential measures to improve traffic safety is through the use of ITS (Intelligent Transport Systems), by making the vehicle or the infrastructure more intelligent. The main focus in the previous decades has been on improving the safety of vehicles through various passive and active systems, such as Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Collisions with VRUs are addressed through improvement of detection of VRUs and through reducing the impact of collisions with VRUs. In order to be able to improve the safety of all VRUs, a more holistic approach is needed, which involves all stakeholders, including vehicle manufacturers, national and local authorities and road user representatives. This Topical Collection contains five papers based on the research conducted in the project Vulnerable Road Users using Intelligent Transport Systems (VRUITS), which was co-funded by the European Commission in the 7th Framework Programme, and lasted from April 2013 to March 2016. The main object of the VRUITS project was to research how Intelligent Transport Systems can contribute to improve the safety, mobility and comfort of Vulnerable Road Users. The accident analysis performed in the VRUITS project focused on specific road user types for which statistics are available: pedestrians, cyclists and PTW riders, which include low speed scooters, mopeds and motorcyclists, are treated as separate groups. The VRUITS project started by identifying the most critical traffic scenarios for VRUs, through analysis of both European accident databases, such as CARE, and national databases [4]. For pedestrians, the most critical scenarios for pedestrians are crossing the road at mid-block. For cyclists and PTWs, the most critical scenarios are intersection scenarios, when the vehicle pulls out into the path of an oncoming VRU or turns into the VRU’s path. ITS systems add intelligence to either the vehicle, the infrastructure or the VRU. Vehicle ITS systems, which were shown to have a high safety potential, include autonomous emergency braking (AEB) systems with pedestrian (and cyclist) detection and blind spot detection systems. Euro NCAP currently has already since 2016 introduced scenarios for pedestrian AEB, both at daylight and in darkness, and since 2018 also addresses AEB for cyclists. In May 2018, the European Commission suggests to make 11 safety systems mandatory for new vehicles, including Automated Emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, and VRU detection at blind spots for trucks [3]. Also the infrastructure can be made more intelligent. At signalised intersections, sensors detecting pedestrians at or near crosswalks can be used in the control of the traffic lights, providing safe crossing to elderly pedestrians and persons with special needs, and optimising green time phases for all road users. Sensors, detecting cyclists approaching crossings, could be used to provide Correspondence: johan.scholliers@vtt.fi VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd, P.O.Box 1300, 33101 Tampere, Finland European Transport Research Review

Topical collection on the influence of Intelligent Transport Systems on vulnerable road user accidents