Cars In The Future : Recommendations

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From the policy document, a number of key recommendations have been made.


Implementation

  1. It is highly important in vehicle safety policy to prioritise systems depending on their proven potential to reduce the number of accidents and injury.
  2. If a system could have a potential impact on vehicle safety (whether it is termed a safety system or a comfort system) then this needs to be assessed before it is introduced widely into the vehicle fleet.
  3. Emphasis is firmly on the manufacturers to ensure that adequate warnings are given about potential misuse to the detriment of safety of any product they supply.
  4. A policy framework that identifies how and to what extent technology will play a part in meeting targets in the larger road safety strategy – and indeed national transport strategy – needs to be in place.

Education/Training/Publicity

  1. Education and training issues need to be addressed when introducing new active safety, driver assist, and driver comfort systems, to ensure that safety benefits are not lost due to drivers adapting their behaviour.
  2. Where the benefits of a safety system are proven, publicity may help increase its take up.
  3. The importance of consumer information should be stressed and evaluated so that a consensus on the best way of getting the information to the consumer is achieved.
  4. Ensuring that drivers understand how to use ADAS when the technology reaches the second hand market is an important step towards ensuring that the equipment is properly used.
  5. The education and publicity side of EuroNCAP should not be overlooked, as evaluations and research of it’s effectiveness may help disseminate the information better in future, and also aid similar consumer organisations who wish to inform the public about comparative tests.
  6. Similarly, any future changes to the testing star ratings released by EuroNCAP need to be carefully considered from the consumer’s point of view, to ensure that confidence in the program is not undermined.
  7. Consumer information ratings need to extend to, areas of active safety such as IVIS, and other areas of passive safety such as child car seats.
  8. Further education of safety systems to traders and vehicle sales staff will help to improve the amount and quality of safety information that people consider when buying new vehicles. This will also help shift the emphasis of car buyers to the most salient points when purchasing new vehicles.

Engineering

  1. The issue of HMI is overarching to the whole issue of active safety and ensuring that technology is designed so as not to overload the driver with information.
  2. Standards need to be reached about how in-vehicle technology interacts with the driver. Without standards then similar signals could be used in different vehicles to indicate different risks. Standards need to be augmented with driver training.
  3. The dangers of driver underloading need to be considered, and is a vital part for any road map which considers the future implementation of active safety.
  4. Passive Safety needs to remain high on the agenda, there is still much to be done to improve current understanding of biomechanics and crash test protocols.
  5. A test to help reduce the number of injuries resulting from whiplash needs to be introduced when there is expert consensus.
  6. The maintenance of in vehicle technology needs to be considered, and the MOT test is the most appropriate point to ensure that systems do not fail throughout the vehicles life span.

Specific Technologies

  1. The potential benefits of ESC have been proven and encouragement needs to ensure that the public are aware of it, and how to get the best out of it.
  2. Event Data Recorders (EDR) could play a vital part in helping set future vehicle engineering and vehicle safety policy agendas. It would be highly beneficial to have them fitted as original equipment on all vehicles as soon as possible.
  3. Day Time Running Lights (DRL) may have a positive safety impact but there is very little scientifically derived evidence in this country, this needs to be conducted before the issues explored in depth. Any potential increased risk to vulnerable road users needs to be taken into account.
  4. Pedestrian Protection must be stressed as an area issue for future improvements to vehicle design.
  5. The Regulation for Pedestrian Protection needs to be clarified and rapidly implemented.

ISA

  1. The potential casualty savings for ISA are great and this technology should be supported.
  2. One of the largest tasks that need to be completed before ISA is introduced is the completion of a digital roadmap of the UK with speed limit information.
  3. The potential of ISA as a tool to help businesses manage occupational road risk needs to be stressed. Organisations who wish to control the risk to their employees using the roads should ensure that their vehicle fleet is equipped with ISA when it becomes available.
  4. The insurance industry needs to discuss the implications that ISA will have on group ratings and insurance premiums, along side other stakeholders such as road safety and research organisations. The results of real world trials will hopefully underpin and provide the evidence base upon which these discussions occur.
  5. The road safety focus needs to remain on the problem of speed to help change drivers attitudes. This will help increase the acceptance of ISA.
  6. The options of introducing ISA need to be explored, as well as the roles of each stakeholder in encouraging its take up. The benefits of a Market Driven or Authority Driven implementation scenario for the UK should be reviewed to find the best route forward.
  7. How ISA can be implemented and what steps can be made towards it need to be considered when road user charging schemes are introduced in the UK. The two technologies are similar and both use satellites to monitor the position of the car and the road it is travelling on.

Emergency and Rescue

  1. Emergency services should be helped in rescuing occupants from the vehicle by having access to information about the nature of the crash, and the safety systems of the specific vehicle involved to help with the efficient rescue of occupants, prior to arrival on the scene.
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