The author of this article argues that traffic safety experts are looking at the accident problem in the wrong way, and that new thinking is needed from first principles. Today, there are about 600,000 fatalities and 200,000 injuries per year on roads worldwide. Motorways waste a massive amount of space, cars waste much fuel, congestion wastes much time, and the whole system wastes enormous sums of money. So far, traffic safety measures have been only a 'holding policy'. Speed limits, pedestrian crossings, traffic signals, safety belts, crash barriers, and road markings have all failed to eliminate the basic causes of accidents. It could be argued that all road accidents result from human error; if this is true, it is about time that driving was automated. Current research in this direction is aimed at guiding cars in convoys electronically along existing roads or motorways, but this approach adds to an inherently unsafe system. The author argues that an accident-free traffic system is possible. Such a system would be analogous to human arteries and veins, with all roads designed as one-way channels. With automated light vehicles on guided routes, it would be safe, low-polluting, space-saving, and fuel-efficient. It could apply the safe methods used in airport baggage handling systems, roller-coasters, toboggan runs, and water slides. Such a system would make road travel joyful.
Abstract