Greeting from the President

Takata Foundation was established as a means to support road traffic safety research with a particular focus on the human angle, drawing together a wide group of people with the aim of bringing our dream of zero fatalities from road traffic accidents ever closer to reality. The fruits of our efforts will be a society which cherishes the sanctity of human life.

Today, traffic accidents still take a terrible toll in injuries and deaths. Particularly in India, China and other fast-growing countries in Asia where the motorization of society has accelerated, there is a pressing need for a completely new approach to safety, because merely extending the results of existing research will not be sufficient to address the issues. We urgently need to redefine what we mean by real safety and develop systems to make that a reality.

Is it really possible to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries to zero? We certainly believe so, even though we are currently a long way from that goal. This means that we must constantly pursue a higher level of safety and never accept that the status quo will suffice.

When seat belts and airbags were first developed, few people believed they were necessary. But through perseverance and repeated demonstrations they gained acceptance and proved their worth.

It is clear to me that we need to bring together and research ideas from a wide range of viewpoints, stimulating vigorous debate among people who share the same ultimate goal and expanding our knowledge.

Our aim now is to promote the involvement of an even younger group of people and support the development of creative, open-minded researchers who can pursue the bold ideas needed to take traffic safety to the next level. I hope that you will join me in our efforts.

Akiko Takada
President, Takata Foundation