This paper discusses the opportunities of telematics as an instrument for road safety policy. To this end, telematics are categorised together with convention al road safety policy instruments. The categorisation is based upon the protection the instruments provide for the road users. Three types of protection are distinguished: separating in space and in time, preventing accidents from happening in the same space, and minimising the consequences of an accident. The categorisation can be used to find available policy instruments for a road safety problem. Although the expectations of a number of telematics applications are positive, there still exist many uncertainties about the effects and the side effects of these applications. As a result, the optimal parameters for the telematics applications are not yet known. This implies problems in determining the costs of the applications. Telematics are not an option for the target year 2010 of the Dutch National Traffic and Transport Plan (NVVP). But in order to have profit from the potential of telematics-related instruments after 2010, the possible interference of the instruments of the current sustainable road safety policy have to be taken in consideration when deciding to use these current instruments. (A) For the covering abstract of the conference see ITRD E206647.
Abstract