TESPEN Contact
Safety

Ugo has not driven on a public road yet.

Before it does, it has to pass each step below. We will publish the results as we go.

19,400 people died on EU roads in 20251

Italy: 49 deaths per million people, 2,868 in total. EU average: 43.

Each dot is about ten people, grouped by country, largest first.

For every death, about five people are seriously injured. The EU aims to halve both by 2030.1

Numbers by country
CountryDeaths per million peopleDeaths in 2025
France49about 3,380
Italy492,868
Germany34about 2,840
Spain36about 1,770
Poland45about 1,640
Romania68about 1,290
Netherlands35about 630
Portugal55about 590
Greece50about 520
Czechia43about 470
Belgium39about 460
Hungary48about 460
Bulgaria71about 450
Austria43about 400
Croatia67about 260
Slovakia42about 230
Sweden20about 210
Finland33about 180
Ireland34about 180
Lithuania48about 140
Denmark23about 140
Latvia63about 120
Slovenia44about 90
Cyprus46about 50
Estonia31about 40
Malta37about 20

Preliminary 2025 figures. Totals are estimated from each country’s rate and population, except Italy (ISTAT2). No 2025 figure for Luxembourg.

Where Ugo helps

  • More buses, fewer carsA bus that comes often takes car trips off the road. Operators lack the drivers to run more.
  • Safer driving, once provenRobotaxis already have fewer injury crashes than human drivers. Buses still have to prove it.

Waymo robotaxis, US3

  • 270M+miles with nobody at the wheel
  • −82%crashes with injuries
  • −95%serious or fatal crashes

Their data, compared with human drivers in the same cities. Not Tespen’s, and not from buses.

How we test, in order

  1. Simulation nowDigital twins of real routes, with their stops, crossings and traffic.
  2. Hardware in the loopReal computer and sensors, simulated street.
  3. Closed trackTakeovers, controlled stops and staged hazards.
  4. Public roadsWith a permit and a safety driver at the wheel.

On every test vehicle

  • Safety driverAt the wheel, can take over at any moment.
  • Controlled stopOn any fault the system can’t handle.
  • System monitorWatches everything and can call the stop.
  • StandardsDesigned to ISO 26262, ISO 21448 and UL 4600. Not certified.
  • PermissionPublic roads only with a Ministry permit (DM 70/2018) and the road owner’s consent.4

Every quarter, we will publish

  • Autonomous kmPer route.
  • TakeoversEach one, and why.
  • IncidentsAny collision, whoever caused it.
  • Scenario coverageHow much of each route we have tested.

Not started. The first report follows our first quarter on a real vehicle.

Questions about how we test?

Sources

  1. European Commission, EU road deaths drop by 3% in 2025, 24 March 2026: preliminary figures and deaths per million people by country. Population: Destatis, Europe in figures (Eurostat data).
  2. ISTAT and ACI, Incidenti stradali, anno 2025, July 2026.
  3. Waymo, Safety impact data update, September 2026 (data through June 2026).
  4. Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, Decreto Ministeriale n. 70 del 28 febbraio 2018 (Smart Road); Guida automatica, documentazione e modulistica.