The paper describes how laser interferometry can be used to respond to the increasing demands from industry and elsewhere that the traceability of vibration and shock measurements to SI units be established or improved. As an example of the top level of a hierarchic traceability system, the paper focuses on six different national standard devices using laser interferometry to ensure the realization and dissemination of the three translational motion quantities: acceleration, velocity and displacement, and the three rotational motion quantities: angular acceleration, angular velocity and rotation angle, in wide measurement ranges with sinusoidal, shock-shaped and other user-defined time histories. The application of the methods to the primary calibration of transducers (including laser interferometers as calibration objects) is demonstrated. The high accuracy of the primary calibration facilities serves, among other things, to investigate the behaviour of special laser vibrometers intended to be qualified as reference laser vibrometers applicable as a sub-system of calibration equipment, e.g., in a service calibration laboratory.