Editorial

Knowledge Needs on the Implementation of Automated Driver Assistance Systems

Abstract

Recently, considerable technological progress has been made in the field of Automated
Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS). Electronic devices inform or support the driver in
accident-prone driving situations, in order to improve the critical task of driving a motor
vehicle. Potentially, ADAS offers important advantages for road transportation: increased
control with respect to the speed and the position of vehicles on the road is important for
establishing homogeneous traffic flows and reducing the number of accidents. As such
ADAS is assumed to have a positive impact on the use of road infrastructure and traffic
safety (Boussuge & Valade, 1994). Moreover, this could lead to a reduction of energy use
and polluting gas emissions (Barth, 1995; Michaelian & Browand, 2000). As soon as parts of
or the whole driving task are supported and/or executed automatically by ADAS, vehicle
driving could become more comfortable and more convenient as compared to today’s manual
driving (Stevens, 1997; Hoedemaeker, 1999). These expectations imply a high potential in
individual and societal advantages. In various countries, therefore, transport policy makers are
increasingly interested in the automation of vehicle driving tasks. However, current policy
development regarding ADAS is highly complicated by, among others, much uncertainty on
future ADAS development and implementation in terms of whether ADAS implementation
will contribute to or conflict with transport policy goals, and the basic societal conditions
required for ADAS implementation (Marchau, 2000)