I first got to know Christer in early 1980s, when he and Per Gårder organised a course on the Swedish traffic conflict technique in Helsinki. Since that I was in ever closer contact with him, very early becoming a friend and then a close friend. He affected my career in important ways, e.g. guiding me to work with Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), which then came my primary career domain for more than 30 years.

I always admired how good Christer was with interaction with other people and with inspiring other around him so that all working together with him enjoyed the experience – at least I did. I also admired the method of supervision of doctorate students. I am not sure whether he invented it but he certainly used it in a brilliant manner leaving other supervision approaches that I know far behind. His process gave the student steady, continuing and always available support while still leaving the student full responsibility and freedom of the thesis preparation. His students certainly greatly valued his contributions to their development as scientists.

He was also a well-renowned researcher and scientist awarded by both the public and private stakeholders in road transport and society. He had an extremely wide professional network of scientists and road safety practitioners covering the whole world. I am sure that many if not most of the network members also counted Christer as a friend. Me, too! I primary value Christer as a friend. We kept close contact when both of us were active in work life. This continued also after that. We had typically two-hour video calls every three to four weeks. The last one we had in June, and I tried in vain to start the next one in the morning that he had passed away. During those calls it was evident that he still keenly followed events in the world and road safety, while the family matters and his offspring both in Norway and Sweden were very close to his heart. He was certainly disturbed by his physical health worries during the recent years but always had a positive outlook during our chats.

I feel now great sorrow as well as a huge personal loss. However, I will cherish the memories of the numerous happy moments together such as for instance falling asleep at the same time at concerts, operas, and once even at a doctorate student supervision meeting. I am so happy that I was so fortunate to have the friendship of Christer – or [to me] Mr President.

P.S. I am sure that at the Pearly Gates, Christer will try to tell Saint Peter the story about the man who wanted to leave the train at the station where that train was not supposed to stop.

In 1985, an international road safety conference took place in Vienna. My boss at that time, at the Austrian Traffic Safety Board, asked me to meet a Swedish researcher at this conference. I spoke some basic Swedish from my student times and therefore I should meet this researcher who was propagating something called Traffic conflict technique.

My sympathy for Christer was immediately there and luckily this sympathy was reciprocal. More luck: he said that more psychology was needed in traffic safety work. Thus, I started part time work at Christer's institute in Lund. He demonstrated with patience, creativity and an open mind how interdisciplinary work should function. He showed how well it is possible to be the boss and a friend in synchronicity. I also considered him a model supervisor for his students.

In private life, he loved eating and drinking and discussing and singing in company, as well as enjoying cultural events. Whenever there was a conference or a symposium—including all ICTCT workshops—to attend an opera or a concert was obligatory. Christer loved music.

Concerning the ICTCT, yes: it was Christer's idea to transform the informal group that researched different ways of registering traffic conflicts into an official association, which was done in 1988. The ‘TCT’ in the ICTCT—Theories and Conceps in Traffic safety—included more and more social aspects in Christer's approach: ‘Traffic safety is not only about not getting injured or killed in traffic. Rather, traffic should work in a socially acceptable way, with quality of life for all road user groups and residents in the focus.’ In a visionary way he could explain the relationship between such a focus and vehicle speeds.

A good life was important for him, both as a professional and as a private person. After he had retired he moved from Bjärred, Sweden, to Norway, Bergen. He kept regular contact with colleagues. We were welcome to visit him, also at his beloved summer place in Southern Norway. Lately his health was not that good.

I miss him so…