Title Affiliations Abstract "Examining Driving Behavior of Adults with Higher Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorders to Develop and Evaluate an Innovative Driving Instructor Training Program" "Traffic Safety" "The current project aims to comprehensively investigate driving behaviors as well as related psychological characteristics of novice drivers with ASD. For this, we use self-report measures and a driving simulator. The to-be-developed simulated driving scenarios can serve as validated assessment tools in future research. Furthermore, this project targets the development of innovative training modules for the driving instructors to equip them with the knowledge, tools and techniques to effectively develop driving capabilities and safe driving behaviors of novice drivers with ASD. By developing and distributing the proposed training modules, we expect that more people with ASD will be able to obtain a driving license, hereby enhancing their level of autonomy, as they will not be dependent on relatives and friends to assist in transportation requirements. The project also comes with an economic impact. First, as more people with ASD become able to obtain a driver's license, more people will be able to pursue vocational goals. Second, the driver instructors will be able to attract more learner drivers who experience difficulties with learning how to drive due to their ASD diagnosis. Third, the utilization of driving simulators in traffic safety and operation studies in Qatar is quite novel and it will significantly enhance the understanding of driver behavior in specific target groups such as people with ASD. Finally, this project will initiate active collaboration between research bodies and driving schools in order to improve driver-training programs in the state of Qatar." "Development, implementation and pilot-testing of a gamified E-learning platform for the improvement of (motor)cycling knowledge & skills of Vietnamese adolescents" "Kris BRIJS" "Traffic Safety, Ton Duc Thang University" "Traffic accidents and traffic concerns are always types of heavy pressure on the society. Several studies indicate that violation of traffic laws and a lack of situation awareness are core issues leading to traffic accidents, especially, poor hazard perception and undeveloped driving skills are main reasons of young-novice accidents. In Vietnam, to improve road safety in adolescents, a number of solutions such as strengthening communications on traffic safety among people, spreading traffic rules on the mass media and even increasing the fine for violating regulations, are introduced. However, most of interventions have not been highly effective because they focus on raising awareness instead of learning knowledge and training skills. By using the gamified e-learning platform in the co-operation to IMOB, the research focus on promoting (motor)cycling-related knowledge and skills among Vietnamese adolescents. This gamified educational tool is extremely useful for young people to improve their knowledge of road traffic laws and predictions traffic situation in order to make timely handling. To begin with, needs of improvement in (motor)cycling-related knowledge and skills of Vietnamese adolescents will be identified through assessing key problems related to risk motorcyclist behaviour. Next, e-learning platform will be developed to adapt to Ho Chi Minh City by collecting and transforming traffic data of the local context. Finally, pilot testing of e-learning platform in the context of Ho Chi minh City will be conducted. Results from pilot testing will be analysed and evaluated to identify the impact of the application on improvement in (motor)cycling-related knowledge and skills of the focus group in the comparison to that of the target group." "Road safety in an international and digital era." "Tom BRIJS" "Traffic Safety" "For academic year 2018-2019, the School for Transportation Sciences professor George Yannis was nominated for the Francqui Chair. The central topic for the lectures is ""Road safety in an international and digital era"". As a professor of road safety and management at the National Technical University of Athens (NTUA, Greece), he is in charge of the Transportation Planning and Engineering Department. He has an impressive academic curriculum (490 scientific articles, including 147 in international journals) and participates actively in numerous (inter) national research projects and scientific committees in the field of mobility and traffic safety (EC, UN / ECE, OECD, WHO, World Bank, CEDR , ERF, ETSC). He is also a member of the editorial board of 5 international scientific journals. Professor Yannis' research is very international with many collaborations in various European countries and beyond. Prof. dr. Yannis is a fascinating speaker and very active in science popularization. For example, he has his own science blog (www.georgeyannis.com) in which he shares visions and opinions on current mobility issues. Finally, he manages a website (www.nrso.ntua.gr) on which the latest new studies, project results, new conferences and road safety statistics in Europe are communicated." "In-Dept Analysis of Motorcycle Riders'Risk-Taking Behaviors and Measures to Improve Road Safety for Motorcyclists." "Kris BRIJS" "Traffic Safety" "In both developed and developing countries, the travel demand of transport by motorcycles is increasing as a result of the benefits they provide. Especially in developing countries, the number of registered motorcycles are sharply increasing every year. In addition, with the rapid development of science and technology, the engine of motorcycles are getting stronger and cheaper, so traffic users' choice of motorcycles with large displacement engines f is increasing. As a consequence of the increase in the number of motorcycles, the number of serious and very serious accidents related to motorcycles is on the rise and the rate of fatalities per accident is very high. Currently, there is little research on improving and enhancing the quality of transport infrastructures and motorcycles to avoid accidents . Specifically, there is a lack of studies on safety solutions related to transport infrastructures and motorcycles to help people stay alive and uninjured in a crash. To solve those problematic situations, this research presents a package of comprehensive measures to enhance traffic safety for motorcyclists including active and passive solutions in developing countries. The active solutions help drivers to avoid accidents, the passive solutions help people stay alive and uninjured in a crash. The research will be conducted based on the analysis of the data from traffic accidents and the risk-taking behaviours of motorcyclists at typical intersections and motorways. This analysis clearly points out the type and nature of collisions, occupant characteristics and the causation of injuries. Furthermore, an in-depth interview on the behaviours of motorcycle riders will be conducted to determine the main risk-taking behaviours that are usually performed by riders." "FWO travel grant for a long stay abroad at Polytechnique Montréal, Canada" "Stijn DANIELS" "Traffic Safety" "Since the start of my PhD, PM has been involved in my project: the research stay supervisor is a member of my doctoral committee. IMOB and PM are both part of the Horizon 2020 project InDeV, focusing on methods for evaluating vulnerable road users' safety. Besides the benefits for IMOB in general, the research stay provides the unique opportunity to explore future joint efforts between both institutions. Furthermore, a long research stay abroad is beneficial for the progress and quality of my research." "Dynamic signage evaluation using a driving simulator" "Transportation Behaviour, Traffic Safety" "This project targets the development of national guidelines for the design of Variable Message Signs (VMS) that can be applied in urban areas to the following categories of road/traffic situations; (1) Congestion, (2) Incidents, (3) Road Works and (4) Dynamic Traffic Management. It will be achieved through the identification of the most effective designs of messages in VMSs (static and dynamic) by studying and modelling driver's reaction considering the wide diversity of driver population in the State of Qatar." "Learning and memory in psychopathology" "Tom Beckers" "Centre for Psychology of Learning and Experimental Psychopathology, Research Group Psychiatry" "Learning and memory play a central role in various forms of psychopathology. People with depressive complaints are characterized by overgeneral autobiographical memories, flashbacks are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), avoidance learning is an important factor in the genesis and maintenance of clinical anxiety, and deficits in working memory and other executive functions are central in ADHD, to give but a few examples. Treatment aims to adjust memory representations, for instance through corrective learning experiences, and to target impairments in learning and memory more directly, e.g., through the training of working memory and related cognitive functions or through improving an individual’s reminiscence style. Those examples illustrate how psychological and neurobiological theories of learning and memory have always been an important source of inspiration for our understanding of psychological disorders, and how evolutions in basic knowledge regarding learning and memory have provided the impetus for the development and improvement of treatments and interventions. Yet the translation of the newest insights from experimental cognitive psychology and cognitive neuroscience regarding basic processes of learning and memory into novel and more effective treatments is often slow and cumbersome. This is due in part to the fact that research groups are typically specialized either in generating novel basic insights regarding psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of learning and memory or in developing novel interventions for psychological complaints (sometimes based on basic insights developed elsewhere). Few teams are experts in both aspects, which impairs the translation of novel insights from basic experimental science to the clinic and also has basic scientists sometimes overestimate the degree to which their findings are relevant or applicable to clinical practice, due to a lack of research on the predictive validity of laboratory models for psychological disorders. The aim of the current scientific research network is to intensify existing contacts between some of the most prominent research groups and departments on this domain and to forge a number of new connections. This involves on the one hand teams that already bridge the divide between basic psychological science and clinical psychopathology and on the other hand groups that either push the boundaries in basic research on learning and memory or set the agenda in the understanding and treatment of psychopathology. Common denominator of all partners involved is a clear interest in and commitment to the translation between basic science and clinical application." "Shifting gears for autism - Project to make autism into a fixed concept in training for driving examiners" "Kris BRIJS" "Traffic Safety" "With 'Shifting gears to autism' we aim to increase integration of young people with autism in society. Persons with autism still rely heavily on friends and family for their transport. In cooperation with Federdrive IMOB will develop a curriculum to teach driving instructors. This 1-day training will consist of a combination of research and practice. Driving instructors learn about autism features and receive tips and tricks to deal with them." "Traffic conflicts as surrogate safety measure for accidents involving vulnerable road users." "Stijn DANIELS" "Traffic Safety" "The main objective of this research it to develop a safety indicator with its specific use to evaluate vulnerable road users' safety. In recent years, the use of traffic conflicts as a surrogate for accidents has become more common, but the developed safety indicators seem less applicable for conflicts involving cyclists and pedestrians. An thorough literature review is conducted in order to identify which behavioral processes contribute to traffic conflict involvement of vulnerable road users. Current safety indicators are examined in order to determine why they are less applicable for cyclists and pedestrians. Based on these findings, a new indicator will be developed and tested using several empirical studies." "Peripheral Points of View." "Erik Myin" "Centre for Philosophical Psychology" "In this project, we will continue and broaden our artistic, scientific, and philosophical approach to investigating peripheral vision, i.e., visual perception outside the centre of gaze. We will create an entirely new image type - images that can be recognized in the periphery but not in central vision, and explore the results, as well as our previous findings from the point of view of each discipline. We will increase our public outreach, present at universities and exhibit in galleries and museums."