Findings from the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025

Despite all progress: Certain crash scenarios remain problematic

Nov 28, 2025

Some assistance systems need to rely on infrastructure
Awareness campaigns on specific hazards
Connectivity can further increase road safety

Modern vehicle technology, sophisticated assistance systems, and improved infrastructure have significantly increased road safety in recent decades. “However, ‘classic’ scenarios such as tree crashes, rear-end collisions at the tail end of traffic jams, truck turning accidents, or collisions with unprotected road users remain a problem,” says DEKRA accident researcher Stefanie Ritter. The DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025 “Mobility in the Changing Times” uses various accident examples, among other things, to show where further progress needs to be made.

Roads are becoming safer, vehicles are becoming smarter, and the number of fatal accidents is declining in the long term. Nevertheless, certain types of accidents remain a serious risk today because technology has reached its limits or infrastructure is inadequate. For example, collisions with trees are still among the most serious traffic accidents on rural roads. Often, a brief moment of distraction or slightly excessive speed is enough to cause a vehicle to skid – and trees do not forgive mistakes.

“Although modern cars are now equipped with stability control, lane assist, and sophisticated seat belt systems, all of this technology cannot override the laws of physics”, Stefanie Ritter points out. The main cause of collisions with trees remains inappropriate speed, often combined with wet or dirty roads. “In the future, preventive systems that actively prevent vehicles from unintentionally leaving the road could play a key role,” says the accident researcher. Lane departure warning systems, camera-based assistance systems, and networked vehicle sensors could intervene at an early stage before the vehicle starts to skid. However, these systems often rely on appropriate infrastructure – for example, a lane departure warning system that uses road markings to detect the lanes.

Infrastructure is also important in other ways. Existing trees must be secured with suitable protective devices and, if necessary, the speed limit should be adjusted. New trees should be planted at a sufficient distance from the road. In addition, drivers should not let themselves be distracted by secondary activities.

The most vulnerable road users remain particularly at risk

Road users on two wheels or on foot have always been the most vulnerable, as they have no crumple zone. This will not change in the future. Therefore, the main goal must be to prevent these accidents or at least reduce their severity. Many measures, such as more pedestrian-friendly vehicle geometries, reduced speed limits in cities and towns, better headlights, and awareness campaigns, have led to a decline in the number of pedestrians killed. However, these figures have been stagnating for several years or are even rising again in some countries.

Situations in which pedestrians are difficult to see or disregard traffic rules are particularly dangerous. “Although emergency brake assistants with pedestrian detection are becoming increasingly better and more widespread, this negative trend can only be reversed in conjunction with other developments – for example, in infrastructure, with barrier-free crossings or visually clear traffic guidance, but also in the behavior of road users themselves”, predicts the DEKRA expert.

Blind-spot risks with turning trucks

Hardly any other accident type has such serious consequences for road users as a collision between a turning truck and a cyclist or pedestrian. In many cases, the cause is the blind spot, which cannot be completely eliminated even with additional mirrors or cameras. Turning assistants that provide acoustic and visual warnings or even initiate automatic braking are now mandatory equipment in new trucks in the EU. Nevertheless, the number of serious turning accidents in European city centers remains almost constant. One of the reasons for this is that many older trucks without modern systems are still in use. In addition, even the best sensors cannot detect every hazard – for example, when cyclists are obscured by parked vehicles.

In addition to the introduction of assistance systems, there are various approaches worldwide to raise awareness of this accident scenario and, in the best case, prevent it. These include special awareness campaigns that sensitize cyclists and truck drivers to the imminent dangers as well as problems of the counterpart. In many countries, stickers on trucks also warn unprotected road users of the dangers of blind spots.

A second of inattention can be fatal

Rear-end collisions involving trucks also continue to pose a significant risk, even though legislators and vehicle manufacturers have taken a number of measures over the years. For example, the introduction of modern braking systems has significantly reduced braking distances. Emergency brake assistants detect obstacles and slow-moving or stationary vehicles and, in an emergency, trigger a driver warning and autonomous emergency braking. Adaptive cruise control ensures that a safe distance is maintained from the vehicle in front, while lane departure warning systems prevent the vehicle from leaving its lane.

“Despite these technological advances, distractions caused by smartphones, fatigue, and time pressure remain major causes of serious rear-end collisions”, reports Stefanie Ritter from accident research. However, insufficient knowledge of how the systems work can also lead to incorrect reactions by drivers. Especially in construction zones or sudden traffic jams, a moment of inattention can quickly lead to serious accidents, even if technical aids are available. “In the future, the use of automated driving functions, supported by artificial intelligence and a connected infrastructure, could help virtually eliminate rear-end collisions”, says the DEKRA expert. Self-driving trucks would be able to detect obstacles in real time and react accordingly. Communication between vehicles and with the infrastructure could also make an important contribution in the future to warning of potential dangers at an early stage and thus further increasing road safety.

Further background information on this topic and many other aspects of “mobility in the changing times” can be found in the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025. It is available at www.dekra-roadsafety.com .

Show all press releases