Assessing Tractors’ Active Safety in Serbia: A Driving Simulator Study

Sreten Simović, Aleksandar Trifunović (), Tijana Ivanišević, Vaidas Lukoševičius () and Larysa Neduzha
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Sreten Simović: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering, University of Montenegro, 81000 Podgorica, Montenegro
Aleksandar Trifunović: Faculty of Transport and Traffic Engineering, University of Belgrade, 11000 Belgrade, Serbia
Tijana Ivanišević: Academy of Professional Studies Sumadija, 34000 Kragujevac, Serbia
Vaidas Lukoševičius: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Design, Kaunas University of Technology, Studentų Str. 56, 44249 Kaunas, Lithuania
Larysa Neduzha: Department of Technical Mechanics, Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, Lazaryan 2, 49010 Dnipro, Ukraine

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: The active safety of tractors remains a major concern in rural road environments, where tractor drivers face high crash risks due to limited vehicle visibility. In Serbia, 1.4% of crashes involve tractors, mainly due to poor visibility (64.3%), lack of beacon lights, unsafe overtaking, and unmarked stopped tractors (14.3% each). These issues reduce safety, increase fuel consumption and emissions, and cause economic losses. A driving simulator study with 117 drivers examined how visibility equipment affects speed perception. The results showed that 20 km/h was best estimated with all visibility aids, while 10 km/h was most accurately judged with only the slow-moving vehicle emblem. These findings emphasize the potential for simple, cost-effective visibility measures to enhance the active safety of tractors in mixed rural traffic conditions. By enhancing tractor visibility, these measures reduce crash risks, minimize unnecessary acceleration and deceleration, and lower fuel consumption and emissions associated with traffic disturbances. Furthermore, by preventing crashes, these solutions contribute to reducing resource consumption in crash-related medical care, vehicle repairs, and infrastructure damage. Integrating improved visibility equipment into rural traffic policy can significantly enhance tractors’ active safety and reduce the risk of crashes in agricultural regions.

Keywords: tractor visibility; speed perception; driving simulator; active safety; sustainability (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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