🚗 What happens when a car loses control? And how can technology help prevent it? 🏎️💨

In March, we had the pleasure of engaging with high school students in an interactive session on vehicle stability and autonomous driving, as part of the STAVE and HL4IT projects.

We kicked off the session with a presentation on how we study vehicle dynamics and autonomous systems at the university. (📸 In the photo, you can see Prof. Gianpiero Mastinu introducing the students to the basics of vehicle modeling)

Next, we analyzed real-world cases of vehicle instability, watching videos of cars spinning out of control. With each scenario, we discussed:

🔹 Why did the loss of control happen? (Was it the driver, the car, or road conditions?)

🔹 What could have been done differently? (Better reactions, improved vehicle tech?)

🔹 How can we study and prevent these issues?

From theory, we moved to discussion. In small groups, students worked on an interactive exercise where they connected the dots between the vehicle, its sensors, and the driver in terms of safety. Each component plays a key role in maintaining control. A fundamental question was: Who should have the final say in a critical situation? Some students leaned toward a more autonomous system, while others preferred leaving more control to the human driver. Their perspectives sparked an insightful debate on the trade-offs between automation and human decision-making.

To bring these ideas into practice, we concluded with a hands-on experience in the driving simulator. Students saw first-hand how we study vehicle stability and driver-vehicle interaction, and they witnessed how autonomous vehicles (AVs) handle disturbances, like sudden wind gusts, better than human drivers—highlighting the potential of automation in improving road safety.

💡 Key takeaways from the session:

👉 Understanding vehicle dynamics is crucial for both safer driving and better engineering.

👉 Safety is a balance between vehicle systems, sensors, and human decision-making.

👉 Autonomous systems can enhance safety by reacting faster than humans in critical situations—but how much control should they have?

But the experience was just as enriching for us! Seeing how students—who are not experts—perceive safety and automation gave us valuable insights into the concerns, expectations, and curiosities of future drivers and engineers. Their fresh perspective reminds us of the importance of bridging technical research with real-world understanding.

A huge thank you to everyone who participated! It was inspiring to exchange ideas and explore the science behind driving and autonomy together. 🚀

The HL4IT project has been financed by EU, NextGenerationEU, M4C2I1.1, Project PRIN 2022 “HL4IT”, Prot. 2022L3M25K, CUP D53D23003750006

The STAVE project has been financed by EU, NextGenerationEU, M4C2I1.1, Progetto PRIN 2022 PNRR “STAVE”, Prot. P2022KSN9Z – CUP D53D23016080001

#VehicleDynamics #AutonomousDriving #Engineering #STAVE #HL4IT #DrivingSimulator #Education #Outreach #FutureOfMobility #LearningTogether