Taking advanced driver systems a step further
With so many lives lost each year on European roads, improving road safety is of paramount importance. Special systems which can assist drivers such as ADAS help provide a solution. Beyond supporting drivers, ADAS can help increase road capacity while also lessening the environmental problems caused by traffic. With such systems entering the market for commercial use, it is important that their implementation, impact and acceptance are assessed. The EU-funded Advisors project set out to do just that. The project investigated the potential of ADAS in terms of market conditions as well as the impacts on driving behaviour, road safety and the environment. By creating a common assessment methodology to cover all these areas of investigation, Advisors achieved several objectives. For example, assessments of road safety, driver comfort, network efficiency and environmental impacts are now possible. End-users are now aware of ADAS implementation problems that may stem from legal, institutional, socio-economic, financial, organisational and user-acceptance issues. An appealing aspect of this assessment methodology is that it may be applied to other innovative technology fields due to its comprehensiveness. However in terms of the effects of ADAS deployment, further research is required, particularly in terms of safety implications.
