Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur Sécurité, France

Institut National de Recherche sur les Transports et leur Sécurité (INRETS) – FRANCE

The French National Institute for Transport and Safety Research (INRETS) was created by an inter-ministerial decree on September 18th, 1985. INRETS is a public scientific and technological body under the dual administrative supervision of the Ministry in charge of Research and the Ministry in charge of Transports. INRETS has the following missions :

• to organise, execute and assess technological research and developments concerned with the improvement of the means and systems of transport and traffic, from technical, economic and social standpoints ;
• to carry out evaluative and advisory studies within these domains ;

to promote the results of this research and study programs, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific knowledge, and to participate in training by and on transport research both in France and abroad. Total staff at INRETS includes 411: 186 researchers, 160 technicians and assistants, 65 administrative and management personnel. Two thirds of the research that is executed at INRETS deals with the physical sciences, and one-third with the social sciences. The activities of the Institute involve diverse fields such as economics, sociology, psychology, physiology, ergonomics, biomechanics, acoustics, mechanics, mathematics, computer sciences, electronics and electrotechnics. The diversity of approach used to carry out the different research programmes gives a multidisciplinary characteristic to the INRETS research teams.

For a long time, several INRETS teams have been strongly involved in different aspects of road safety. The team from Lyon, secondary safety oriented, carry out a specific study focussed on pedestrians and car occupants. Our protocol is compatible with STAIRS protocol.