RideSafeUM

The RideSafeUM project is a new project jointly financed by EIT Urban Mobility, a European Union organization, aimed at preventing accidents and poor conduct while using electric scooters.

In collaboration with Roma Servizi per la Mobilità and the micro-mobility firm Dott, both Italian partners in the project, in consortium with another 10 partners in Barcelona and Salonica, RideSafeUM will provide the users of electric scooters with real time, constantly updated information on local rules and regulations and will collect anonymous data on the routes travelled in the Italian capital. The data will thus be used to educate citizens on the proper use of these vehicles and will also enable institutions and operators to survey the most problematic areas of the city, thus being able to adapt mobility policy to the effective needs of the city in terms of rules, infrastructures and improvements in road safety.

The project was started in response to the need to make micro-mobility safer and encourage the greater and better use of these means of transport, which are a key part of the future of our mobility system. RideSafeUM will thus provide an objective report in the case of accidents and collect data for research purposes and the preparation and management of mobility policies in the Italian capital. Users will benefit from more and more detailed information on the existing restrictions, such as speed limits and dedicated parking areas and a more rapid response in the case of accidents. At the same time, the city administrations will be able to obtain specific data on any accidents and improper conduct while driving, which will help to implement better regulations and an enhanced use of public spaces.

During the experimental phase, the users who contribute to the test and calibration of the artificial intelligence algorithm will be recompensated with the equivalent of € 50 per week in the form of discounts on using scooters.

To subscribe to the pilot project, download the RideSafeUM Roma app and select one of the Dott electric scooters available in the city, which are appropriately marked and equipped with a specific cellular port which will enable the journey to be monitored and inform the users of the laws and regulations in force. By placing their cell phone in the relative space, users can just begin their journey. While en route, in selected areas of the city of Rome, the app will display the essential information, such as, for example, where users are allowed to transit and where they are not, the speed limits to be respected and areas where parking is allowed or forbidden. Lastly, Dott will discount the next trip in Rome by 50% for all those who subscribe to the pilot project.

The RideSafeUM app is based on the integration of a computer-vision software which works using the camera on users’ cell phones, GPS and the vehicle speedometer. The app is connected to a city-wide dashboard configured using geofencing technology, in which the local driving parameters are set, thus enabling the authorities to identify, properly manage and monitor any problems regarding the safety of micro-mobility services, implementing a pilot test if necessary to test the efficiency of specific safety measures to be introduced later on a larger-scale. Versatility is one of the fundamental values of RideSafeUM, and this is why the project is also being tested in Salonica, where, as in Rome, it involves shared means of transport, and Barcelona, where it involves privately owned vehicles.

Thanks to RideSafeUM, European operators in the shared micro-mobility sector will easily be able to adapt their services to regulatory changes, learn from the data collected and spread the mindset of safety among users.

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