The rapid development of automotive transportation following the first world war and the resultant accidents and congestion in the early 20's, were responsible for public demands that expert attention be directed to the alleviation of traffic ills.  During this period, a few individuals recognized the value of engineering approaches in dealing with many aspects of highway transportation problems.  Men with engineering training and experience worked with distressed municipal officials in seeking palliatives for accidents and congestion, largely concentrating their work in the field of traffic regulatory devices, and roadway design and re-design.  At various national and regional conferences called for discussions of traffic problems, this ever growing group of technicians was brought together so that by the late 20's engineers interested in highway traffic work were fairly well acquainted.

The desirability of forming a professional society was freely discussed whenever a few of them happened to get together.  Thoughts for such a society were crystallized at a meeting in Pittsburgh on October 2, 1930.  It was at this meeting that a tentative drafting of the Constitution and By-Laws for a professional traffic society was accomplished by a small group of men who were actively engaged in the battle to reduce accidents and facilitate traffic movement.  The major reasons for organizing ITE were to provide a central agency for correlating and disseminating the factual data and techniques developed by members of the profession, promoting the standards of traffic engineering and encouraging the establishment of traffic engineering departments in city and state governments whose techniques should make for safer and more efficient highway transportation.  At a meeting in New York on January 20, 1931, Constitution and By-Laws were adopted, and the Institute of Traffic Engineers became a reality.

The Charter membership of ITE consisted of 30 persons.  The first Officers were: Ernest P. Goodrich, President; Miller McClintock, Vice-President, and Hawley S. Simpson, Secretary-Treasurer.