Strategies, programs, and projects pertaining to policy on transport: Research in selected European States, the United States, and Japan (Short title: SmartBench). Final report on Sweden

The government in Sweden champions the international competitiveness of the country's economy and industry. The structure and substance of transport research in Sweden is in con-stant flux. Because Sweden has its own automotive industry, extensive and cost-intensive re-search programs on vehicle development are conducted in cooperation with industry, the research community, and the government and are largely financed by the Swedish state. Setting priorities in transport research also seems to come easier to Sweden than to Germany, where authority is shared by the federal government, state governments, and their respective ministries in a way unknown in Sweden. On the whole, Sweden is one of the world's innova-tive leaders in both applied and basic research on transport, an assessment reflected in the ambitious objectives of the country's transport policy. An outstanding example thereof is Vi-sion Zero, Sweden's long-term goal of completely eliminating deaths due to accidents. Sweden, like other countries, is grappling with the impacts of mass motorization. In compari-son to the German way of dealing with these problems, the Swedish approach seems to fo-cus pragmatically more on environmental objectives and safety standards and devotes greater attention to the needs of disadvantaged road users. The social sciences, a traditional strength in Sweden, play a major role. Swedish transport research addresses the topics of sa-fety, environment, and future technologies. The independent Swedish local authorities con-duct their own environmentally ambitious transport projects, which are scientifically grounded political decisions promoting informed efforts to help the environment.