Intelligent vehicle-highway systems (IVHS) will improve traffic efficiency, safety, and environmental conditions by applying computer communications and control technologies to road transportation. Automobile navigation and route guidance systems (often called driver information systems) are a central element of IVHS. This paper reviews the nature and status of navigation based driver information systems, consolidates some of the rather limited research results now available to gain insights on their potential safety benefits, and identifies key issues that must be resolved to realize these benefits. Navigation-based driver information systems, along with other forms of IVHS, will assure more efficient utilization of roadway capacity and, if designed with safety in mind, will reduce accident rates. However, considerable research is required before the safety implications are sufficiently well-understood for navigation systems to be designed to provide maximum safety benefits.
Samenvatting