Inclusive and Interdisciplinary Road Safety Research

The demand for enhanced road safety is becoming more critical than ever due to increased urbanization, aging populations, and disruptive transport technologies. At the same time, the numbers of road accidents and injuries remain high.

To tackle this challenge, research is needed on inclusive and safe road design, the safe integration of heterogeneous road users into traffic, and inclusive road safety policies. This requires more interdisciplinary and innovative research which combines different types of knowledge, data, and methods.

Against this background, Inclusive and Interdisciplinary Road Safety Research was therefore the theme of the 36th International Cooperation on Theories and Concepts in Traffic safety (ICTCT) conference, which took place at the pier in The Hague from 17-18 October 2024. The conference was hosted by the CTIG Traffic and Transportation Safety Lab at TU Delft, which is co-directed by Professor Marjan Hagenzieker and Dr. Haneen Farah.

About 170 participants from more than 35 different countries and four continents attended the conference. Throughout the conference, engaging and stimulating scientific discussions took place covering many crucial topics, such the safety of vulnerable road users, safe mobility for road users with disabilities, inclusive road safety policy, and inclusive road infrastructure design. Two keynote speakers inspired the discussions:

• Alice Schippers, Professor of Disability Studies at the University of Humanistic Studies, Utrecht, emphasized the need for more transdisciplinary research integrating experiential, professional and scientific knowledge and the importance of inclusivity in research.
• Professor Geetam Tiwari, Professor Emeritus at the Transportation Research and Injury Prevention Centre (TRIP), Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi addressed the high ownership rate of powered two wheelers in India, their high share of traffic injuries and fatalities, and the importance that the safe system approach guides the actions under each pillar, and not the other way round.

You can access the speakers’ presentations at the ICTCT website.