On behalf of the Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute (VTI) and the Vehicle and Traffic Safety Centre at Chalmers (SAFER) we welcome you to the seventh International Conference on Traffic and Transport Psychology (ICTTP) on the 23-25th of August 2022 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The conference philosophy is Taking the Swedish Vision Zero Initiative into a New Decade. The renewed commitment aims to develop a safe transport system which is also sustainable. Efforts are therefore made to attain the global targets for safety but also for sustainable development adopted by the UN in 2015.

According to the Vision Zero Initiative, the main problem is not that road accidents occur – it is instead, the serious consequences (death or lifelong injury) of these accidents. The Vision Zero Initiative stresses the fact that the road transport system is an entity in which different components such as road users, vehicles, and infrastructure must be made to interact with each other so that safety can be guaranteed. In order to prevent serious consequences of road accidents, it is therefore essential for the infrastructure, and the vehicles they carry, to be adapted to match the capabilities of the people that use them.

When Sweden introduced the concept of the Vision Zero Initiative in 1995 it turned the traditional view of road safety work upside down but since then this ethical standpoint has spread to many countries and affected the way road safety work is carried out in different parts of the world. As an ethical standpoint the Vision Zero Initiative does not suggest readymade solutions for how to solve traffic safety problems but offers a way of thinking that should permeate through all traffic safety work regardless of the constant changes of the road transport system in terms of for example the growing interest for vulnerable road users, the technical development of autonomy vehicles and the adaptation of infrastructure to create sustainable cities.

The key focus of this conference will, therefore, be on the role that traffic and transport psychology can play in achieving a safe and sustainable transport system.

We’re looking forward to meeting you all and to listening to interesting and thought-provoking presentations; learning from each other; communicating, networking and enjoying a great ICTTP 2022 in Gothenburg.