Safety implications of electronic driving support systems

Road transport telematics research is big business. It promises not only substantial economic activity during the coming decades, but also amelioration of a number of social problems. The present report focuses on traffic safety aspects of driving support systems. It consists of two parts. First of all, a number of topics, relevant for the implementation and evaluation of driving support systems, are discussed. These topics include: safety research into driving support systems, the importance of research into driver models and the driving task, horizontal and vertical integration of driving support systems, task allocation, and problems of standardization. A number of criticisms and suggestions are made for researchers as well as policy makers. Secondly, a general description of currently investigated driving support systems is provided in the appendices