In our society, efficient and safe traffic and transport are of great importance. The safety of the traffic and transport system is an aspect that has attracted great interest from society and the government for years. With the environment in which traffic and transport takes place becoming more complex, this attention remains in full need.The consequences of insecurity are large: first of all, they involve lost human lives, but there is often also economic damage to means of transport and infrastructure. In addition, the interruption of traffic and transport flows usually has far-reaching consequences. Accidents in transport are less and less accepted. There are big differences between the types of accidents that occur in different types of transport: in road traffic, many relatively minor accidents occur, while in sea or air traffic, accidents are less frequent but cause many more casualties or damage. In addition, the environment in which transport takes place is also becoming more crowded. This applies to the sea, where wind farms are being built, where oil and gas extraction takes place, and where fishing vessels also sail around. But air, rail, rivers and motorways are also increasingly crowded. Making the question even more complex is the fact that the Netherlands is responsible for safety in a transport system that is also used by foreign parties. Ships, but increasingly also trucks and aircraft, are often not Dutch, or are driven by foreign personnel. Nevertheless, the safety of the traffic and transport system as a whole must remain guaranteed.
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This question encompasses a number of different elements. It concerns the role of new transport technology, such as autonomous, unmanned transport, and technology that reduces damage, can predict accidents, or rescue victims more effectively. But also about the role of humans as participants in traffic, as operators of means of transport, and as stakeholders in a safe transport system. And it is about society's understanding of safety. The latter aspect is reflected in questions such as: Can maritime transport be even safer? Is flying safer than driving a car? The role of science is both to develop new solutions that promote safety in different transport modes and to identify the causes that lead to accidents and insecurity. An example of the latter is deep insight into the predictability of traffic flows, for example in the sky, or understanding hydrodynamics that determines whether ships are stable. Materials technology can also help improve transport safety.
