BME Student Team Reaches International Finals with a Novel Approach to Intersection Safety

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A student team from the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, affiliated with the Department of Automotive Technologies and BME Automated Drive, has been selected as a European finalist in one of the world’s most prestigious vehicle safety competitions. The final will take place within the framework of the Enhanced Safety of Vehicles Conference in Toronto in May 2026.

The Vehicle Safety and Security Research Group (VSSRG), operating within BME Automated Drive at the Department of Automotive Technologies, has achieved significant international recognition: its student team has been selected as a European finalist for the 10th Student Safety Technology Design Competition.

The competition is part of the 28th ESV Conference, held between May 12–15, 2026, in Toronto, Canada. Co-hosted by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Transport Canada, the event brings together leading experts, industry stakeholders, and researchers to advance global vehicle safety.

An Innovative Response to a Critical Safety Challenge

The finalist project, titled
“When Cars Talk: V2X-Powered Risk Metrics to Improve Next-Generation Intersection Safety,”
competes in the Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) category.

The team members are:

  • Abdulagha Dadashev
  • Roland Nagy
  • Tamás Márton Kazár
  • Faculty advisor: Zsombor Pethő

The research focuses on road intersections, which remain among the most hazardous environments in traffic systems. A significant proportion of accidents at intersections is caused by limited situational awareness—particularly in blind intersection scenarios—as well as delayed driver reactions, especially in dense urban traffic conditions.

The project addresses a key limitation of current systems: traditional perception sensors and onboard driver assistance technologies alone are not sufficient to fully mitigate these risks. The team explores how Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication can be leveraged to develop advanced risk metrics, enabling cooperative, real-time decision-making and more effective collision prevention.

From Student Innovation to the International Stage

This achievement is the result of a consciously built innovation ecosystem. The VSSRG organizes the annual Safety First! student competition, providing a structured platform for developing and showcasing safety-focused concepts. Beyond fostering new ideas, the initiative also creates pathways to international recognition—clearly demonstrated by this finalist position, as well as previous successes within the competition.

“The next level of road safety will be defined by cooperative systems. Our student team’s work demonstrates that V2X-based approaches are not just theoretical concepts, but can provide measurable contributions to accident prevention. It is particularly important for us that this achievement emerges from a student-driven ecosystem intentionally designed to foster internationally competitive innovation,” said Zsombor Pethő, faculty advisor of the team.

Strengthening BME’s International Presence

Reaching the finals is an important milestone not only for the team, but also for the Department of Automotive Technologies, the Faculty of Transportation Engineering and Vehicle Engineering, and the university as a whole. It reflects the ability of BME’s education and research activities to directly address the most pressing global challenges of the automotive and mobility sectors.

Participating in the finals in Toronto offers a valuable opportunity to present the team’s results to leading international experts and further strengthen BME’s position in the global vehicle safety innovation landscape.

Further updates will follow as the competition progresses.