IATSS Research Project Reporting and Award Ceremony 2025 fiscal year

SUMMARY

I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all of you and express my gratitude for your continued support of our Society’s activities.

High-quality transportation and the culture surrounding it contribute to the advancement of industrial and social activities, support the comfort and quality of daily life, and continue to play a vital role in today’s rapidly advancing information society. In particular, the development of automobile transportation is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by the evolution of artificial intelligence, autonomous driving technologies, and the rise of electric vehicles.

While these technologies have significant potential to reduce traffic accidents and improve mobility efficiency, they also introduce new risks and ethical challenges. Addressing these issues requires that technological innovation go beyond improving convenience and instead contribute to the safety and sustainability of society, as well as to the enhancement of human well-being. There is a growing need for the further development of guiding principles for a comprehensive mobility grand design aimed at realizing a superior and sustainable mobility society, as well as for research and proposals addressing practical challenges, and for the continued promotion of the continued promotion of education and support activities.

The International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS) regards it as a fundamental responsibility to engage with transportation and its safety and security from an interdisciplinary and international perspective. On September 17, 2024, our Society celebrated its 50th anniversary, on which occasion we disseminated the IATSS Vision 2024 both within and beyond the organization. Based on this Vision, we will continue to advance our research activities toward the realization of a safe and sustainable mobility society. We sincerely ask for your continued support and cooperation.

We are pleased to announce that the Society’s annual Research Report Conference and Awards Ceremony will again be held this year, and we cordially invite you to attend. Despite your busy schedules, we would be most honored if you could attend.

With the arrival of spring, I would like to extend my sincere greetings to all of you and wish you continued health and prosperity. I would also like to express my heartfelt appreciation for your continued understanding and support of the research activities of the International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences (IATSS).

Research activities constitute one of the core undertakings of our Society. IATSS brings together members and special research fellows from a wide range of academic and professional fields, including traffic engineering, urban engineering, economics, education, law, public administration, psychology, information systems, mechanical engineering, environmental and energy, medicine, regional and social studies, and culture and the arts. Drawing on this diverse expertise, a variety of research projects are conducted within the Society.

These projects are led by our members and involve multi-year investigations and studies related to transportation and its safety, the results of which are compiled into research reports. In conducting these research activities, we place particular emphasis on interdisciplinarity and international perspectives. In terms of research outcomes, we also value practical relevance and forward-looking insight that directly contribute to achieving our objectives. Based on these four guiding principles, we pursue a variety of research themes aimed at realizing an ideal mobility society.

This year, a total of 17 research projects were undertaken. At this conference, we will present the results of four of these projects, along with one project conducted under the ATRANS program.

Although this year’s conference will be held in a hybrid format, we warmly encourage you to join us in person and to take part in active discussions.

Following the Research Report Conference, we will also hold the Society’s Awards Ceremony to honor outstanding achievements, distinguished publications, and excellent papers that have made significant contributions to transportation and safety. Despite your busy schedules, we sincerely hope that you will be able to join us.