Within the pan-European research program PROMETHEUS concepts for harmonizing and stabilizing traffic using communication technology are investigated. New concepts for mobile communication networks and suitable transmission technologies are presented. Their properties and tradeoffs are explained for emergency warning and for cooperative highway driving. The emergency warning systems discussed are; (a) the "electronic emergency flasher" scheme, in which any car involved in an accident sends out an electronic 'bleep', to warn other vehicles in its near vicinity; (b) High net emergency systems; and (c) a scenario in which all traffic participants inform each other of their intentions and present position on the road. The intrinsic conflict between driver decisions and system recommendations is discussed using these examples. Research work on this issue and possible solution strategies are outlined.
Abstract