Master’s in Vulnerable Road User Detection and Urban Safety Engineering
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in vulnerable road user detection and urban safety, structured in 12 modules covering sensing, detection and intention prediction of pedestrians and cyclists, protective ADAS functions, heavy vehicles, cooperative infrastructure, dummy-based validation, SOTIF and regulation, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in Vulnerable Road User Detection and Urban Safety Engineering — studying from Ireland
Ireland hosts research and development teams of several global technology and automotive suppliers, with particular strength in software, embedded systems and data engineering for connected mobility. Universities and research centres such as the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics and the ADAPT Centre contribute work relevant to perception, machine learning and vehicle software. Engineers in this area develop software architectures, validate ADAS functions and address cybersecurity and over-the-air update requirements. Standards and safety expectations are shaped by European type-approval frameworks and international functional safety and automotive software standards.
Fees for Ireland: €5,920 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Ireland
Typical roles
Questions from Ireland
Is there a recognised Irish body that governs autonomous and ADAS engineering credentials?
There is no separate statutory credential for autonomous or ADAS engineering in Ireland. Engineers Ireland is the main professional body for engineers and sets chartership standards. Road traffic and vehicle safety are overseen by bodies such as the Road Safety Authority. SEIUM's qualifications are private and not accredited by any national body, so their standing rests with employers or the relevant body.
Do Irish employers in software-defined vehicles and ADAS value this type of study?
Ireland has a notable software and technology sector, and some firms work on vehicle software, sensing and connectivity. Employers generally look for demonstrable software skills, project work and experience. A private online qualification may add to a profile, but its value is for each employer to determine. Make sure your portfolio shows what you can actually build.
Is this workable part-time, and do I need to be fluent in English?
Yes, the programme is online, so you can study from anywhere in Ireland without travel, and no student visa is needed. You do need strong English for technical material and assessments. Workload varies by programme: 1,900 hours for a master's, 800 for a postgraduate diplomas and 300 for specialist courses. An assigned technical tutor supports you, fees can be paid in instalments, and employer sponsorship may be available.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Analyse vulnerable road user casualties in urban environments.
Select sensors for vulnerable road user detection.
Develop detection and classification models for pedestrians and cyclists.
Predict the intention and trajectory of vulnerable road users.
Design protective ADAS functions.
Validate systems with dummies and simulation.
Develop a vulnerable road user protection project.
Who it's for
- Active safety engineers.
- Urban perception engineers.
- ADAS validation engineers.
- Road safety researchers.
- Protection systems engineers.
- Urban mobility technicians.
- Engineering or science graduates looking to enter the automotive sector.
What you'll work with
- Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 (General Safety Regulation for motor vehicles)
- UN ECE R152 (advanced emergency braking systems)
- UN ECE R151 (blind spot information systems for cyclist detection)
- UN ECE R159 (moving off information systems)
- ISO 19206-2 (test targets for vulnerable road users: pedestrians)
- UN ECE R127 (pedestrian protection)
- ISO 21448 (safety of the intended functionality, SOTIF)
- ISO 26262 (functional safety of road vehicles)
- PyTorch
- CARLA
- OpenCV
- IPG CarMaker
- ROS 2
12 modules · 1900 h
1.1Definition of vulnerable road users1.2Pedestrian and cyclist casualties1.3Vision Zero and the safe system approach1.4Critical urban scenarios1.5Risk factors at intersections1.6Pedestrian crossing behaviour1.7Motorcyclists and personal mobility device (PMD) users1.8CARE and DGT accident data1.9European road safety policies1.10Case study: analysis of urban accidents
2.1High-resolution front cameras2.2Radar for pedestrian detection2.3LiDAR in urban environments2.4Blind-spot cameras2.5Short-range side sensors2.6Field-of-view coverage2.7Occlusions caused by parked vehicles2.8Night-time pedestrian detection2.9Selecting a sensor suite for the city2.10Lab: sensor coverage analysis
3.1Pedestrian detectors with CNNs3.2Detection of cyclists and motorcyclists3.3Detection of e-scooter users3.4Human pose estimation3.5Detection of children and people with reduced mobility3.6Detection of partially occluded pedestrians3.7CityPersons and EuroCity datasets3.8Miss-rate metrics3.9Biases in pedestrian datasets3.10Practical: cyclist detector with PyTorch
4.1Crossing-intention cues4.2Head and body orientation4.3Social force models4.4Prediction with recurrent networks4.5Prediction with transformers4.6Multimodal trajectory prediction4.7Interaction between agents4.8ADE and FDE metrics4.9PIE and JAAD datasets4.10Workshop: pedestrian crossing prediction
5.1Emergency braking for pedestrians5.2AEB for cyclists5.3Turn assist with detection5.4Door-opening warning5.5Blind-spot detection in lorries5.6Evasive steering assistance5.7Active bonnet protection systems5.8External pedestrian airbags5.9AVAS acoustic warnings5.10Practical: AEB logic for pedestrians
6.1Blind spots of lorries and buses6.2Regulation R151 on cyclist detection6.3Regulation R159 on moving-off information systems6.4Direct vision systems6.5London's Direct Vision Standard6.6Camera mirrors and monitors6.7Side radar on lorries6.8Training for professional drivers6.9Effectiveness assessment6.10Case study: blind-spot system on a lorry
7.1Pedestrian detection from infrastructure7.2Smart intersections with sensors7.3VAM messages for vulnerable road users7.4Cooperative warnings to vehicles7.5Adaptive traffic lights with pedestrian detection7.6Smart pedestrian crossings7.7Infrastructure cameras and privacy7.8Integration with traffic management centres7.9Urban pilot projects7.10Lab: intersection warning system
8.1Pedestrian and cyclist dummies8.2Mobile test platforms8.3Euro NCAP vulnerable road user scenarios8.4Night-time tests with dummies8.5Reconstruction of real accidents8.6Simulation of urban scenarios8.7Harm-reduction metrics8.8Track and city testing8.9Validation reports8.10Workshop: CPNA scenario in simulation
9.1HARA of protective functions9.2False positives and unwanted braking9.3Perception insufficiencies9.4Urban triggering conditions9.5Trade-off between safety and comfort9.6Statistical validation of failure rates9.7Field monitoring9.8Function updates9.9Manufacturer liability9.10Case study: SOTIF analysis of pedestrian AEB
10.1Traffic calming and 30 km/h zones10.2Design of safe intersections10.3Safe cycling infrastructure10.4Urban speed management10.5School zones and protected environments10.6Open road casualty data10.7Evaluation of measures10.8Public participation in design10.9Integration with automated vehicles10.10Practical: urban road safety audit
11.1General Safety Regulation 2019/214411.2Regulation R152 on AEB11.3Euro NCAP vulnerable road user protocols11.4Pedestrian protection requirements R12711.5Regulations R151 and R15911.6ISO 19206 standards for test targets11.7Road safety directives11.8Effectiveness assessment by the EU11.9Regulatory trends towards 203011.10Workshop: AEB compliance matrix
12.1Selection of critical scenarios12.2Definition of the sensor suite12.3Development of detection and classification12.4Intention prediction model12.5Design of the protective function12.6Functional safety analysis12.7Validation plan with dummies12.8Results and conclusions12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
The programme is 100% online on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within the intake, so you can combine it with your job.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is PyTorch, CARLA, OpenCV, IPG CarMaker and ROS 2, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Testing is studied through real procedures for tests with pedestrian and cyclist dummies, simulation of critical urban scenarios and reconstruction of real accidents. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: Regulation (EU) 2019/2144 (General Safety), UN ECE R152, UN ECE R151, UN ECE R159, ISO 19206-2, UN ECE R127, ISO 21448, ISO 26262.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- University degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- Internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme's software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with PyTorch, CARLA, OpenCV, IPG CarMaker and ROS 2, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the software, and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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