AVV, the Transport Research Centre of the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management, is investigating the concept of an External Speed Assistant (ESA) : an in-car speed advise given to the individual driver to continuously adapt his speed to the local traffic situation on his route. It is the aim - and at the same time an important new element compared to existing projects - to provide drivers through external sources with a reliable speed advise to anticipate on fluctuations in the traffic flow over medium distances (50 km). With the ESA, the road network should be used more efficiently and safely and driving could become more comfortable. The emphasis for ESA in this report is on supporting the braking and accelerating based on intensities and speeds known at downstream locations. To get more insight into the effects of ESA, modelling research is necessary, e.g. by using micro-simulations. ESA is a clear extension to actual traffic information services, trip and route planners, travel time estimators and predictors and different ADA systems like ACC. For drivers, these combined services seem to offer an attractive package that could be provided partly by the automotive industries, partly by value added service providers and partly by road authorities. (Author/publisher)
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