EdX

Road Traffic Safety in Automotive Engineering (edX)

Road Traffic Safety in Automotive Engineering (edX)

Learn the fundamentals of passive and active safety in automotive engineering. This course teaches the fundamentals of active safety (systems for avoiding crashes or reducing crash consequences) as well as passive safety (systems for avoiding or reducing injuries).

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Engineers in the automotive industry are required to understand basic safety concepts. With increasing worldwide efforts to develop connected and self-driving vehicles, traffic safety is facing huge new challenges. This course is for students or professionals who have a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or similar and who are interested in a future in the vehicle industry or in road design and traffic engineering. It's also of value for people already working in these areas who wantbetter insight into safety issues.

Key concepts include in-crash protective systems, collision avoidance, and safe automated driving. The course will introduce scientific and engineering methodologies that are used in the development and assessment of traffic safety and vehicle safety. This includes methods to study the different components of real-world traffic systems with the goal to identify and understand safety problems and hazards. It includes methods to investigate the attitudes and behavior of drivers and other road users as well as recent solutions to improve active safety. Italso includes methods to study human body tolerance to impact and solutions to minimize the injury risk in crashes.
Study topics include crash data analysis and in-situ observational studies of drivers and other road users by the use of instrumented vehicles and roadside camera systems. Solutions in active safety, such as driver alertness monitoring, driver information as well as collision avoidance and collision mitigation systems, will be described. Examples of in-crash protective systems are combinations of traditional restraints such as seat belts and airbags but with advanced functions such as automatic adaption to the individual occupant as well as pre-collision activation based on advanced integrated sensor systems and communication systems.
The course will be based on recorded lectures that use videos and animations to enhance the experience. Online tutorials that access simulation models will give the participants an experience of influencing parameters in active safety and passive safety systems.
As a result of support from MathWorks, students will be granted access to MATLAB/Simulink for the duration of the course.
This course is part of the Emerging Automotive Technologies MicroMasters Program.

What you'll learn

  • Current and upcoming means to reduce traffic related fatalities and injuries
  • Car structure design and crash configuration influence on the vehicle occupant loading
  • Principles of future integrated safety systems
  • Human body biomechanical and physiological response
  • Simulations for crash safety assessment
  • Importance of active preventive safety and the complexity of the driver/vehicle/environment (DVE) system
  • Sensor principles and the design and functions of current active safety systems
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

International Standards on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (edX) EdX
University of Oxford

International Standards on Freedom of Expression and Safety of Journalists (edX)

Law

This Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) is co-organised by the Bonavero Institute of Human Rights (Faculty of Law, University of Oxford) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). It explores the regional and international standards relating to freedom of expression, including press freedom, access to public information, safety of journalists and challenges created by the digital world.

May 29th 2023
5-12 Weeks
Safety First: EV Maintenance & Best Practices (Coursera) Coursera
Coursera Instructor Network

Safety First: EV Maintenance & Best Practices (Coursera)

In today's ever-changing automotive landscape, the rise of electric vehicles (EVs) is reshaping our approach to driving and car maintenance. Welcome to our comprehensive 75-minute video course on Electric Vehicle Maintenance and Safety. This course is essential in the modern world as the shift towards sustainable transportation makes understanding EV care and safety practices not just an advantage, but a necessity. As a learner, you'll acquire the knowledge and skills needed to confidently navigate the world of electric vehicles, ensuring both your safety and the longevity of your EV investment.

Jun 8th 2026
1 Week
Collaborative Robot Safety: Design & Deployment (Coursera) Coursera
University at Buffalo,The State University of New York

Collaborative Robot Safety: Design & Deployment (Coursera)

As robots evolve and increasingly interact with humans, enhancing the safety of personnel working with these “collaborative robots” (cobots) is vital. This course equips you to assess the safety of a collaborative robot workcell and prevent the chances of injury or harm. It imparts industry-endorsed safety standards, technical report recommendations and best practices from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), Robotic Industries Association (RIA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Jun 8th 2026
4 Weeks
How Food is Made. Understanding Food Processing Technologies (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
EIT Food,EIT,DIL

How Food is Made. Understanding Food Processing Technologies (FutureLearn)

Have you ever wondered how your food is processed before it reaches your plate? Find out with this online course. Learn more about processing technologies and the foods that are affected. Food processing isn’t a new concept, however, many people might not understand how and why it happens. On this course, you will improve your knowledge of food processing technologies and build confidence in the processed foods on the market.

Jan 2nd 2023
4 Weeks
Ethical Decision-Making: Labor and Production Dilemmas (edX) EdX
Georgetown University,GeorgetownX

Ethical Decision-Making: Labor and Production Dilemmas (edX)

Labor and production standards, meant to ensure the safety of workers and consumers, are neither universally accepted nor always enforced. Where local governments fail to act, global corporations may receive pressure to step in. In this course, you will consider ethical questions about the role of international businesses in preventing harm abroad.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
Occupational Health in Developing Countries (FutureLearn) FutureLearn
University of Bergen,Addis Ababa University,MUHAS

Occupational Health in Developing Countries (FutureLearn)

Get a global perspective on occupational health and safety and learn how it reduces workplace injury on this CPD-certified course. Learn how to work on the issue of occupational health in a low-income setting. Occupational health is a neglected part of public health in many developing countries where industrial activity is increasing. On this course, you’ll broaden your knowledge of occupational health and learn how to prevent diseases and injuries caused by working conditions in developing countries.

Mar 13th 2023
5-12 Weeks
Risk in Modern Society (Coursera) Coursera
Leiden University,LDE Centre for Safety and Security

Risk in Modern Society (Coursera)

Risk has become one of the defining features of modern society. Almost daily, we are preoccupied with assessing, discussing, or preventing a wide variety of risks. It is a cornerstone notion for businesses and organizations, but also for nation states and their many levels of government. And even for individuals, risk and the avoidance or embracing thereof, is a key theme. The course Risk in Modern Society sheds light on the broad concept of risk.

Jun 22nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Model-Based Automotive Systems Engineering (edX) EdX
Chalmers University of Technology,ChalmersX

Model-Based Automotive Systems Engineering (edX)

Learn how to model and simulate system dynamics in automotive engineering. Modeling, control design, and simulation are important tools supporting engineers in the development of automotive systems, from the early study of system concepts (when the system possibly does not exist yet) to optimization of system performance. This course provides a theoretical basis to model-based control design with the focus on systematically develop mathematical models from basic physical laws and to use them in control design process with specific focus on automotive applications.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Preclinical Safety: From In Vitro Assays to Human Dose Predictions (edX) EdX
Davidson College,DavidsonX

Preclinical Safety: From In Vitro Assays to Human Dose Predictions (edX)

Drugs are approved based on their “safety and efficacy”. Determining the safety of a drug occurs through studies that are largely completely separate from efficacy studies. The safety studies fall under the umbrella of preclinical safety. While a drug’s therapeutic benefit is typically narrow and well-defined, the potential safety risks of a compound can be very broad. Preclinical studies therefore search broadly in order to reveal any possible safety issues in a compound. Safety studies ultimately determine dosing limits for clinical trials as well as the final approved drug product.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Introduction to Drug Hunting (Coursera) Coursera
Novartis

Introduction to Drug Hunting (Coursera)

This course introduces and summarizes the different steps of preclinical drug discovery, wrapping up with a brief description of the subsequent clinical trials and the importance of competitive intelligence in project strategy.  It provides a high-level overview for those interested in a more general understanding of the topic and forms the foundation for a more in-depth exploration of topics covered in other courses in this series.

Jun 15th 2026
3 Weeks
Electric and Conventional Vehicles (edX) EdX
Chalmers University of Technology,ChalmersX

Electric and Conventional Vehicles (edX)

Learn how electric and conventional powertrains work and methods to analyse their performance and energy consumption. Electric powertrains are estimated to propel a large part of road vehicles in the future, due to their high efficiency and zero tailpipe emissions. But, the cost and weight of batteries and the time to charge them are arguments for the conventional powertrain in many vehicles.

Self Paced
Self-Paced