CARSP Conference 2025 Editorial – Martin Lavallière, Ph.D.
Martin Lavallière is a Professor of Kinesiology at Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and has been a CARSP member for more than 15 years. He received his B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D. in Kinesiology from Université Laval (Québec, Canada). His current research focus is on the impact on driving performance of aging, navigation and communication technologies and active safety systems in vehicles and their application on work related collisions.
It was my pleasure to act as the chair of the 2025 conference that was held this year in the beautiful Quebec City, organized jointly with Parachute Canada and a new international partner for CARSP, International Co-operation on Theories and Concepts in Traffic Safety (ICTCT).
The event was a total success on all aspects of it: the City, the venue, the sponsors and collaborators, but more importantly, the attendees who make this event a must-go-to every year.
First, I would like to recognize the contributions and time of the organizing committee without whom such an event would not have been possible. The success of the conference wouldn’t have happened without the efforts of the organizing committee.
Secondly, I would like to recognize our partners for organizing the conference; Parachute Canada’s staff prior and during the event for promoting the conference to their extensive networks of road safety professionals and through social media posts, and for recruiting wonderful panelists. I would also like to recognize ICTCT, with the precious help of Stijn Daniels, for their openness and the promotion of our conference internationally. Without them we wouldn’t have been able to extend CARSP’s invitation worldwide. With more than 230 participants for this year’s event, 25 of which came from abroad, we strive to continue welcoming our attendees from all around the world.
During the conference, we had the opportunity to hear from many great speakers such as Lars Ekman, who discussed The Role of New Technology in Implementing Vision Zero, and Ian Lockwood, who delivered Safety: It Takes a Village.
In addition, many groundbreaking conversations were given from various panels: i) Speed Management and the 5 Es; ii) Bigger Vehicles, Bigger Risks; iii) Micromobility and Road Safety: Navigating the Future of Urban Transportation; and iv) Advancing Road Safety Through Data Analytics
This year also marked an important milestone for CARSP, as the first fully bilingual event using Wordly throughout the conference. This enabled participants to listen to the conference in their preferred language of choice, to facilitate their understanding and knowledge dissemination. This marks an important step for us as an organization to broaden the scope of our participants to a more international audience.
The Thursday night gala promoted the excellence of the work and research conducted across Canada. Prizes were given to six students in recognition of their works through their excellent posters and papers that were evaluated by peers.
Three lifetime achievements awards were also given to individuals who have made substantial contributions to the field of road safety and mobility.
First prize was awarded to Professor Michel Bédard of Lakehead University: Dr. Bédard has spent over 25 years advancing research on aging and driver safety. His work on fitness-to-drive and older driver support has shaped clinical and policy decisions. He has received over $20M in funding and published 200+ peer-reviewed articles.
Second prize was awarded to Mr Paul Mackey: A pioneer in traffic calming in Québec since 1988, he has led Ruesécure for 31 years, improving road safety through over 240 street redesign projects. His work, recognized by the Ordre des urbanistes du Québec, has focused on protecting vulnerable road users and linking street design with driver behavior.
Third prize was awarded to Madame Lyne Vézina: A leader in Québec’s road safety since 1987, she has shaped data-driven policies and supported impactful research through her roles at the SAAQ, where she is now Director General of Road Safety R&D. A former CARSP president and long-time board member, she is admired for her leadership, innovation, and passion for making Québec a model in road safety.
On behalf of CARSP, I congratulate and thank them once again for all their contributions for a safer Canada.
To finish, I would extend my gratitude to Brenda Suggest and Homa Naeini for their sustained work at making the annual conference year after year a complete success. They are the backbone of our organisation, and will lead us to a successful event next year to be held in Halifax, Nova-Scotia. I’ll see you there!