QinetiQ (formerly known as DERA) is funded by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence (MoD) to undertake research aimed at improving the capability and effectiveness of the logistics support provided to its fighting forces. A study has been conducted to identify emerging technologies that could optimise the driver/vehicle interface for logistics operations in order to deliver substantive military benefits. Military benefits are realisable through enhanced operational capability, improved cost effectiveness, reduced whole life costs, whilst meeting ever more stringent Health and Safety legislation and duty of care obligations. One of the key drivers for improved military logistics capability is the need to reduce the number of road traffic accidents involving military vehicles. Evidence of the high cost of these accidents is shown in Defence Road Safety Annual Report and Database. Aside from the human cost in terms of injury and sometimes loss of life, there are financial costs relating to the emergency services, medical care, vehicle recovery, repair or replacement, property damage, litigation, insurance claims and not least of all lost man-hours. One strand of a strategy to mitigate the significant impact on military operational effectiveness, especially that through accidents occurring in peacetime, during exercises and whilst on peacekeeping operations, is the application of appropriate ITS technologies. Care must be taken to ensure that any selected technology reduces the probability of an accident occurring rather than increasing it. For example, a navigation aid with a poor man-machine interface may unnecessarily distract a driver from the driving task. The identification and implementation of technologies in this context are issues discussed in this paper.
Abstract