Saving lives on Europe’s roads takes more than smart technology - it takes collaboration, trust and real-world experience. In this interactive panel discussion, leading public and private experts share how the Data for Road Safety ecosystem (DFRS) is already turning live vehicle data, crowd-sourced insights and infrastructure data into actionable safety information.
Join this discussion to learn first-hand how vehicle manufacturers, traffic information service providers and public authorities are working together to create road safety related events and exchange high-quality safety data at scale - and what it takes in practice to make this collaboration work. The panellists will discuss their motivation and commitment, share real-world user experiences and key lessons learned, and reflect on the vital role of interoperability in advancing Europe’s road safety goals. DFRS is a key enabler for Europe’s Vision Zero 2050.
Featuring insights from the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, HERE Technologies, Ford and Euro NCAP, and moderated by Joost Vantomme, chair of DFRS and CEO of ERTICO-ITS Europe, this session offers a unique opportunity to hear from the organizations shaping Europe’s safety data ecosystem - and to join the conversation on what comes next.
Christian Kleine is Manager Data Partnerships at HERE Technologies, where he leads initiatives on Open Data and Public-Private Cooperation with a strong focus on enabling Data for Road Safety (DFRS). His work centers on building scalable data exchange frameworks between public authorities and the private sector, including TN-ITS, DATEX II, and National Access Points, to improve the availability and quality of safety-relevant road data.
He is President of the TN-ITS Association, promoting trusted map update exchange with road operators, a Steering Board Member of the Open Auto Drive Forum (OADF), and an active member of the DFRS Technical Working Group, contributing to the definition and operationalization of safety-critical data for the automotive ecosystem.
With over 20 years of experience in digital mapping, Christian has worked extensively with public sector partners to turn policy objectives into operational data services. He holds degrees in Geography and Economics from the University of Bochum and the University of Hagen, Germany.
Peter Geffers has held several management positions in Ford of Europe focusing on System & Feature Integration, Body Comfort Electronics, Diagnostics & Network Management and is currently responsible for Connectivity Solutions Integration for the European product portfolio, including access to vehicle generated data and data privacy. Within this role he oversees the End-to-End Project Management, Integration, Verification, Quality, Operations and Software Over-The-Air updates for the lifecycle of Ford’s connected vehicles in Europe. Within this role he oversees the law compliant access to, usage and analytics of vehicle generated data.
Peter represents Ford in various working groups on access to vehicle data in national (VDA) and European (ACEA) associations on regulatory topics around vehicle generated data and access to it, like the EU Data Act, the Eu ePrivacy Directive, as well as the Delegated Act on SRTI and it’s implementation into Ford vehicles. He's also a founding member of the DFRS (Data For Road Safety) initiative and represents the OEMs in the DFRS governance board.
Peter keeps a Bachelor’s degree in Automotive Engineering from the University of Applied Science in Cologne and a Master’s degree in Automotive Systems Engineering from the University of Loughborough, UK
As a program manager at the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, I work at the intersection of public policy, innovation and day-to-day road operations. My role is to translate long-term mobility and safety policy into concrete, scalable projects, delivered through close public-private partnerships.
Joost Vantomme, Belgian national with 35 years of experience in legal and regulatory policy affairs, combined with a strong track record in strategy and project management is the CEO of ERTICO-ITS Europe (www.ertico.com).
He has served as Legal and Policy Director with incumbent operators in the telecommunications, postal, e-commerce/logistics, and automotive sectors. He has held leading policy-making roles in European associations such as PostEurop, FEDMA, and ACEA, as well as at the United Nations level (UPU). Joost has also been a member of the cabinet of the Belgian Minister of Economy and a Director at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, an EU consultancy firm. In addition, he is active in various expert groups of the European Commission and on advisory boards of EU-funded projects.
Before joining ERTICO in January 2022 as CEO, he served for more than five years as Smart Mobility Director at ACEA. Joost has held positions as Chair of the Strategy Committee of ERTICO-ITS Europe and as a member of its Supervisory Board. He also served as a Board Member and Vice President of the Mobility as a Service (MaaS) Alliance.
A frequent conference speaker and published author, he engages with stakeholders on European and international policy issues, as well as on research and innovation project management in the context of mobility and the digital agenda.
Fluent in Dutch, French, English, and German, Joost holds a Master’s degree in Economic and Business Law, a Master’s degree in Law, and a Diploma in Teaching Law (Universities of Leuven, Poitiers, and Louvain-la-Neuve). He has also completed additional education in economics, business, and management.
