News

As we approach the new year, SAFER welcomes two professionals to its board: Professor Mats Svensson, Chalmers University and Senior lecturer Dr. Aliaksei Laureshyn from Lund University. Aliaksei, serving as the Head of the Department of Technology & Society at the university, also holds the position of Editor-in-chief for the Traffic Safety Research journal. Meanwhile, Mats Svensson, occupying a professorial role at Chalmers, leads the Division of Vehicle Safety, Mechanics, and Maritime Sciences.

With extensive backgrounds in traffic safety research, both Mats and Aliaksei bring valuable experience to our board. Mats Svensson steps into the role, succeeding Sinisa Krajnovic, who has been a member of SAFER's board since 2016. Aliaksei assumes a new position as Lund University takes on the role of a core partner, securing a position in the board and thereby assuming direct responsibility for SAFER's strategic development. We extend our warmest wishes to Mats and Aliaksei as they embark on their new roles, confident in their ability to further enhance SAFER's commitment to advancing traffic safety research and initiatives.

We had the opportunity to learn more about their respective focus areas and plans for contributing to the board's work in the coming years:

ALIAKSEI LAURESHYN

Which are the research questions you are most passionate about?

How to measure safety without waiting for accidents to happen? How new technology and data sources can help us in that? Fundamental concepts and ideas in traffic safety, such as what are the meaningful exposure and risk definitions (measure what we NEED, not only what we CAN)? The complexity of the road safety management and what still needs to be done both in mature contexts like Sweden and Norway, but also in developing countries (where to start to get benefits quickly).

In which areas do you plan to make the most significant contributions?

When it comes to the topics – safety of infrastructure, vulnerable road users perspectives, management; when it comes to the Board work – question routines and priorities, open up SAFER for researchers and topics that traditionally have been ‘outside’ SAFER’s focus.

What are you most curious to learn about and looking forward to the most in your work on the board?
Latest developments in the vehicle technology; how to work together with the industry.

MATS SVENSSON

What are your key concerns within traffic safety?

My background is in passive safety, so in my research role, I advocate for the development of HBM models, as well as crash test dummies and test methods and injury criteria. I want to emphasise research on accident data and more fundamental biomechanical research, which together form the basic components for all of this. My personal favorite topic is research on whiplash injuries. However, I also want to advocate for working on all aspects of traffic safety, from the minor technical details to a holistic view of the entire transport system and society.

In which areas do you think you will contribute the most?

In the board, I bring the researcher's perspective and the conditions for academic research, as well as how we can find the best possible synergies between these perspectives and the utilization in industry and society. SAFER is a quite unique collaboration forum that gets interest and regard globally. I want to contribute to continuing to refine this and to continuously adapt the operations to the current conditions and needs, always working to lay the groundwork for the future with a broad time perspective, 3-25 years.

What are you most curious to learn about – looking forward to most in board work?

I look forward to learning more about the management perspective of SAFER's partner organisations, what they want to achieve from collaboration in SAFER, and what they aim to offer.