SHERIDAN, WYOMING - November 28, 2025 - Modern vehicles and infrastructure have made roads significantly safer in recent decades, but new findings from the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025 show that certain "classic" crash scenarios remain stubbornly dangerous and will require a combination of smarter assistance systems, better infrastructure and targeted awareness campaigns to reduce fatalities and serious injuries further.
Persistent high-risk crash scenarios despite overall progress
Roads are becoming safer, vehicles are becoming smarter, and the number of fatal accidents is declining over the long term. Yet specific accident types still pose serious risks because technology has limitations or infrastructure is not keeping pace. "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.
Collisions with roadside trees, in particular, remain among the most serious accidents on rural roads. Often, a brief moment of distraction or slightly excessive speed is enough to cause a vehicle to leave the lane and skid - and a direct impact with a tree is rarely forgiving. These patterns underline that Vision Zero ambitions will only be achievable if structural weaknesses in infrastructure and behavior are tackled alongside vehicle technology.
Infrastructure as an enabler for assistance systems
"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 road surfaces.
"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 a vehicle starts to skid. However, these systems depend heavily on infrastructure - for example, clear and well-maintained road markings that lane departure systems can reliably detect. Existing trees must be protected with suitable barriers, speed limits may need to be adapted, and any new planting should be set back from the carriageway.
Vulnerable road users remain at the highest risk
Pedestrians and cyclists, who lack any crumple zone, remain the most vulnerable road users. Many measures such as more pedestrian-friendly vehicle fronts, lower speed limits in cities, improved headlights and awareness campaigns have helped reduce pedestrian fatalities over time. However, in some countries, the numbers have stagnated or are even rising again.
Situations where pedestrians are hard to see or where traffic rules are ignored are particularly critical. "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. For city authorities and fleet operators, this underlines the need for combined strategies that link vehicle design, urban planning and behavioral interventions.
Truck turning and rear-end collisions remain severe hazards
Collisions between turning trucks and cyclists or pedestrians are among the most severe urban crash scenarios. Even with additional mirrors and cameras, blind spots cannot be fully eliminated. Turning assistants that issue acoustic and visual warnings or trigger automatic braking are now mandatory in new trucks in the EU, yet serious turning accidents in European city centers remain almost constant. Older vehicles without modern systems continue to operate, and even advanced sensors cannot always detect cyclists obscured by parked vehicles or other obstacles.
Rear-end collisions involving trucks also remain a major source of risk, despite modern braking systems, emergency braking assistants, adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning systems. "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. Insufficient understanding of how assistance systems work can also lead to incorrect reactions from drivers, particularly in construction zones or sudden traffic jams where a second of inattention can be fatal.
Connectivity and automation as the next safety levers
Looking ahead, DEKRA sees significant potential in connectivity and automated driving to address these persistent crash scenarios. "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 could detect obstacles in real time and react accordingly, while vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication could provide early warnings of hazards such as sudden congestion or stationary vehicles.
To support these developments, DEKRA underlines the importance of awareness campaigns on specific hazards, from blind-spot risks to distraction behind the wheel, ensuring that drivers understand both the capabilities and limits of assistance systems. For policymakers, infrastructure operators and fleet managers, the report offers a roadmap for combining technology, infrastructure and behavior change to further increase road safety in the coming years.
Further background information and detailed analyses can be found in the DEKRA Road Safety Report 2025 at www.dekra-roadsafety.com.