i-DREAMS aims to define, develop test and validate the concept of the ‘Safety Tolerance Zone’. This concept is an abstract entity, informed by established theory. The term ‘Safety Tolerance Zone’, although abstract in nature, refers to a real phenomenon, i.e. self-regulated control over transportation vehicles by (technology assisted) human operators in the context of crash avoidance. 

Discover everything about the i-DREAMS project through this comprehensible triptych flyer.

Please click on the images for the full PDF version.

Several factors of driver state negatively impact road safety, such as distraction (in-vehicle or external), fatigue and drowsiness, health concerns (e.g. illness, frailty, cognitive state) and extreme emotions (e.g. anxiety, stress, anger). Moreover, differences in socio-cultural factors are still among the main determinants of road risks. At the same time, technological developments make massive and detailed operator performance data easily available. For example via new in-vehicle sensors that capture detailed driving style and contextual data. This creates new opportunities for the detection and design of customised interventions to mitigate the risks, increase awareness and upgrade driver performance, constantly and dynamically. The optimal exploitation of these opportunities is the challenge that i-DREAMS faces

Prof. dr. Tom Brijs, IMOB-UHasselt (project co-ordinator):

“i-DREAMS will make a significant step forward towards a safer transport system by taking advantage of increasing automation. We specifically focus on the driver-vehicle-environment interactions and on the human factors affecting the behaviour of drivers. We will make use of technology to monitor and analyse driving behavior. This technology can intervene both during and after the ride. During experiments, for example, sensors in the steering wheel will monitor the driver’s heart rhythm, so that both the driving behavior and the alertness and emotional state of the driver are measured in real-time. For example, the car could give a warning if the sensor detects that the driver is no longer concentrated. Even after the car ride, the driver can be briefed about any dangerous traffic situations that occurred while driving. This can have a sensitizing effect.

A consortium of 13 partners, research organisations as well as companies, from 8 different countries will collaborate on the EU Horizon2020 project i-DREAMS. During 3 years they will define, implement and test new ways and technologies for monitoring the increasingly complex interaction between driver, vehicle and road environment, and to develop and test interventions to reduce accident risk, both under simulated and in real-life conditions.”