What is it all about?

The VERSA project begins with the systematic collection and initial analysis of all information related to the existing technical, regulatory, and tendering requirements established by road safety authorities across EU Member States, EEA countries, Switzerland, and Turkey. In parallel, the project also examines the expected evolution of these requirements, analysing the technical and regulatory provisions that national authorities plan to introduce within the next five to ten years, together with any additional emerging needs.

Another key activity focuses on identifying and assessing technical and regulatory needs within Member States that are not currently covered by existing harmonised standards, with the aim of highlighting potential regulatory gaps and future areas for development.

The project further includes the collection and analysis of research activities, guidelines, and studies developed — or currently under development — by sector stakeholders such as research institutions, road designers, contractors, and manufacturers. This assessment is complemented by an international perspective, reviewing regulations and research initiatives related to the evaluation of road restraint system safety outside the European Union, in order to ensure a comprehensive and comparative overview.

Special attention is also given to guidelines and research concerning the use of computational modelling for road restraint systems, examining its role in assessing safety performance and supporting design, testing, and certification processes.

Finally, VERSA aims to identify innovative elements required for the evaluation of safety barriers in response to the evolving vehicle fleet and emerging mobility trends, with a particular focus on the assessment of road restraint systems for new vehicle categories, including electric vehicles and SUVs.