Keynote Speakers

Leah Shahum

Founder and Director of the Vision Zero Network

Presenting: “Shifting the Paradigm for Safe, Healthy Mobility for All”

Leah Shahum is the founder and director of the Vision Zero Network, a national campaign supporting cities working toward Vision Zero — zero traffic fatalities and severe injuries. The Network helps communities develop and share best practices for safe mobility for all road users.

As a German Marshall Fund Fellow, Shahum researched Vision Zero strategies in Sweden, Germany and the Netherlands. Prior to that, she was the Executive Director of the 10,000-member San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, which promotes bicycling for everyday transportation. Shahum formerly served on the Boards of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway & Transportation District, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency.

Shahum will present “Shifting the Paradigm for Safe, Healthy Mobility for All”. As roadway fatalities increase in the U.S., particularly for people walking, there is a growing movement to change the status quo in order to prioritize safety over speed. Learn about the growing movement for Vision Zero — eliminating roadway fatalities and severe injuries — being embraced in local communities and at the federal level. This public health-centered approach has the potential to prevent tens of thousands of deaths each year and will take a concerted effort to fundamentally change the way we think about roadway safety.

Cecilia Sunnevång

Vice President Research at Autoliv

Presenting: “No one left behind – How virtual assessment can enhance crash protection for a diverse population”

Dr. Sunnevång is Vice President Research at Autoliv, a global market leader for automotive safety systems that saves more than 30,000 lives annually. In her role, she drives research and innovation toward maximizing real-life impact, and provides solutions for mobility and society. During her 20 years with Autoliv, she has worked in development and engineering before joining the Research department in 2006 as a biomechanical expert. She has a PhD degree from Umeå University in Sweden and has published and presented her work extensively in scientific journals and conferences.

Sunnevång will present “No one left behind – How virtual assessment can enhance crash protection for a diverse population”. Not all humans are well-represented by approximation to a 45-year-old, 50th percentile man. Through analysis of real-life car crash data, previous studies have shown increased injury risk for different parts of our population, such as older or obese people, as well as females. To enhance real-life safety further we need to step away from general optimization towards one age, height, weight, sex, and sitting position and provide protection for all car occupants. This creates the need for more personalized restraint systems, capable of adapting and protecting the diverse range of potential occupants. This presentation will describe the prioritized problems and suggest evidence-based assessment methods to account for a more fragile population. It will highlight the potential of virtual assessment in this application as well as the stepping-stones needed to get there using smaller or heavier ATDs as well as adjusted injury thresholds. Some solutions will also be shown as examples to demonstrate that there are opportunities for improved occupant protection available already now.