Emerging vehicle safety technologies and their potential benefits: discussion of expert opinions

Abstract

The aim of this study was to consult experts from Australia and overseas about their views on emerging technologies, the likely uptake of these technologies and their potential to reduce the number of crashes or crash severity. Interviews were conducted with a cross-section of vehicle and road safety experts. The topics discussed included the most promising technologies, implementation issues, time frame, limitations, and opinions on future technologies, 20 - 30 years from now. In total, 16 interviews were conducted, with nine Australian-based experts and seven international experts. The experts' responses are discussed in the context of research literature on the technologies. The experts suggested that the most important emerging vehicle safety technologies are primary safety systems that provide increasing levels of automation. Autonomous Emergency Braking (AEB) was consistently identified as having the most potential in the near future, and this was confirmed in the literature. Early introduction of vehicle safety systems that are effective at preventing injury crashes will result in significant and cumulative financial and societal savings. This paper provides a brief overview of the more promising vehicle safety technologies, a summary of the opinions of the experts interviewed and potential mechanisms for accelerating uptake of vehicle safety technologies.