The objective of this report was to review ITS technologies which might have substantial safety benefits in Australia and New Zealand. Twenty-four systems were reviewed; some were in-vehicle technologies; others were roadside technologies. The treatment of each technology included a description of the system, and consideration of current availability, costs, the crash types it is likely to affect, research on crash and injury reductions, and the confidence which could be placed in the estimates. Benefit-cost analyses revealed that invehicle systems hold promise for reducing collisions, but that at the costs estimated for these technologies at present – or, more accurately, in the recent past – most of them are not likely to deliver positive cost outcomes. However the cost of these technologies is likely to fall rapidly with mass production and their adoption by lower-cost segments of the motor industry, while integration of the different safety functions into comprehensive intelligent systems linked to other aspects of vehicle management and control are likely to increase functionality and reduce costs further. Many of the roadside safety-related ITS may already return positive benefits at a wide range of sites. Although the knowledge base regarding their effectiveness is patchy, it is less speculative than that associated with many of the in-vehicle ITS reviewed. (Author/publisher)
Abstract