Advanced Telematics in Road Transport

Although additional roads and high speed trains are urgently needed to fill the missing links between the main cities in Europe and to connect underdeveloped regions, there are severe obstacles to the expansion of the traditional infrastructure due to scarcity of space and resources as well as for environmental reasons. Existing approaches to solving road traffic problems such as traffic management schemes, civil engineering improvements, engine management technology and Community Directives on vehicle standards are important, but have limited effect in the face of rapidly increasing road use. However, developments in technology have the potential to improve the situation. Advanced Transport Telematics (ATT) is the application of advanced information processing and telecommunications to the problems of safety, efficiency and the environment. This book reports on the progress made in this area by the European Community research and development programme called DRIVE. Most of the R&D work began in January 1989 and though many projects have not yet reached completion, their potential is clear.
The dissemination of information from the DRIVE programme is an important contribution to the improvement of the European Road Transport system. It will also assist those interested in participating in future work, by presenting a statement of the state of the art of European research into the application of information technology and telecommunications to the problems of road transport and personal travel.