Road Safety

Despite rapid advances in ITS in recent years, it is unclear to what extent ITS is meeting community objectives such as reducing road casualties. The purpose of the present paper was to assess the possible safety impacts of ITS in Australia, with particular attention to issues which might be important in an Australian context but are not being addressed in overseas programs. A brief state-of-the-art review is presented, and the human factors issues related to ITS are discussed in some detail. The main analysis in the paper proceeded by considering the major headings under the National Road Safety Strategy and considering how ITS would be likely to impact them. Alcohol interlocks may have a role in reducing drink-driving, but the increasing complexity and range of options offered by ITS may increase risk of crashing with moderate levels of alcohol. Speed limiting technology is likely to have a major impact on road safety, although it may difficult to sell to the public. Automatic control and/or collision warning systems may greatly reduce vehicle-vehicle and vehicle-object crashes. Heavy vehicle safety will benefit from all these systems and also from intelligent dispatch and routing systems. Young drivers are especially likely to benefit from collision avoidance and speed control technologies, while elderly drivers may benefit from collision avoidance and enhanced night vision. Emergency alert systems have the capacity to reduce response times and improve trauma management and may be particularly beneficial in rural Australia. ITS applied to public transport may increase patronage and reduce exposure by more risky modes. Systems, which monitor vehicle condition, are likely to be popular with drivers and may have some role in reducing crashes. It was concluded that Australia was likely to experience major benefits from three relatively simple technologies: Automatic seat belt interlocks; a `smart` driving licence and `smart` daytime running lights