In China, which is the world's largest
market for passenger cars and heavy trucks, traffic safety has emerged
as an increasingly important issue for both the Chinese government and
the general public. When Sweden’s Minister for Enterprise Annie Lööf
visited China in May 2012, the Swedish and Chinese governments signed a
letter of intent regarding a joint research facility for traffic safety.
The
China Sweden Research Center for Traffic Safety was inaugurated today,
December 18, 2012. It will conduct research projects with the aim of
improving traffic safety both in Sweden and China. Pilot projects are
already under way, including some whose focus is on studying accidents
in China involving trucks and buses. The research centre also aims to
boost the exchange of technology and know-how between the two countries
and to support the two governments' decisions on issues relating to
traffic safety.
“Traffic safety is a strong field of research at
Chalmers and a key priority for the university. Establishing a research
centre in China enhances our possibilities to understand the
transportation and traffic situation in the country. We will gain
knowledge that we can use in other international contexts,” says Anna
Dubois, Head of transport research at Chalmers University of Technology,
and board member of the centre. She continues:
“It is important
for both research and education to forge strong ties with international
research environments. In Sweden we have established a vehicle and
traffic safety center called Safer together with 25 Swedish parties over
the last six years. We see Safer as a model and sister of this new
center.”
The other four partners are Volvo Cars, Volvo Group, the
Chinese Ministry of Transport's Research Institute of Highways and
Tongji University. The Swedish and Chinese governments contribute to the
funding of the research centre.
Image: Lisa Knutsson
More on Safer
Safer
is a vehicle and traffic safety center at Chalmers placed in Lindholmen
Science Park in Gothenburg. The research spans from avoiding accidents,
to reduce injuries in a collision, as well as streamlining the rescue
work after an accident. Many projects related to human behavior in
vehicles and in real traffic.
www.chalmers.se/safer
For more information, contact:
Anna Dubois, Area of Advance Director Transportation, Chalmers, +46-31-772 11 96, anna.dubois@chalmers.se
Anna Nilsson-Ehle, Director of Safer, +46-31-772 36 55, anna.nilsson-ehle@chalmers.se
For images, please contact:
Lisa Knutsson, Communication Officer at Safer, +46-31-772 21 11/+46-761-191426, lisa.knutsson@chalmers.se
www.chalmers.se/safer "Image Archive"