In this report, an overview is presented of the most salient safety related aspects of the application of electronic systems in road traffic. Throughout the report, special attention is paid to government-policy aspects, rather than to the purely technical details of different systems. Existing systems as well as future developments are reviewed. These are divided into five main classes: navigation, communications, motor-management, traffic-management and vehicle-characteristics. The first three of these might have only marginal impact on safety. Some aspects are in favour, some are expected to deteriorate safety. Care should be taken as to the ergonomic aspects of the electronic systems. Especially the interaction between systems operation and the driving task is a highly relevant issue. Traffic-management systems can have a positive effect on safety, but application from a safety point of view may not be very cost-effective. Traffic flow and traffic economics are better reasons for the installation and operation of traffic-management systems. The application of electronics in order to improve vehicle-characteristics is promising. Furthermore, some general aspects of the application of electronics in traffic are reviewed. Information systems, advisory systems, control systems and self-interfering systems are considered, as well as government policy as to these system aspects. Also, some non-technical aspects are considered from the policy-point of view: acceptation, legal aspects, privacy, and problems associated with the introduction and implementation of systems. (Author/publisher)
Abstract