The biggest challenge road transportation is the road crashes. Road transportation has the highest number of accidents. While some of these accidents can lead to permanent injuries, others lead to death. The most painful aspect is that over 90 percent of these crashes are avoidable and they are caused by human error.
Over 30,000 people die on the road every year and sometimes some accidents are caused by other motorists than the victims. To mitigate this, automobile companies have raised the safety bar in the design and manufacture of vehicles. They consider safety more than any other issue when designing new vehicles.
Since most of the accidents are caused by human errors due to carelessness and miscalculation. A very good safety move is the manufacture of driverless or robot cars. Although some of them are on the road, more will still be launched in due time. These cars do not need to be driven by anybody. They can drive themselves. You only need to enter and indicate your destination.
It is believed that as more driverless cars replace the conventional cars, cases of accidents will be reduced. Some accidents are caused by driving under the influence of alcohol. This kind of situation will continue to reduce. Some other accidents are caused by impatience. Robots lack emotions so they will obey traffic regulations to the letter all the time.
Most importantly, robots have better and more accurate sense of judgment so they are likely to take better decisions than human drivers. This car is also known as a smart car. They all run on a set of codes. Super-sophisticated equipment and systems that could only be imagined about three decades ago are now a reality. Some of them are 42-volt batteries, variable-speed transmissions, hybrid vehicles, electronic engine control, anti-lock brakes and computerized diagnostic systems.
The advanced set of applications developed for the purpose of making the roads and highways safer and less prone to accidents is known as the Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). ITS provides the necessary services related to traffic management and it also gives road users better and more accurate information towards making the road safer.
Intelligent Transport System is an all-encompassing system that covers several different applications. It has several applications for different purposes but all the applications have one main objective in common. They have been developed towards road safety or highway safety.
Years ago, auto mechanics did not have any business with a computer. They only dwelt with fuel, grease and engine oil. In fact, most of them didn’t even know how to use a computer. Now computers have become a part of their equipment. No auto mechanic shop is ready for work without a PC. In fact, a lot of clients will want technicians to run a diagnostic scan on their faulty vehicle in their presence.
Some of the applications are variable message signs, container management systems, traffic signal control systems and car navigation just to mention a few. These applications are basic management systems. Apart from basic management system, ITS also has more advanced monitor applications that are security CCTV systems and more advanced applications that make use of live data to give real-time feedback. Such applications are parking guidance and information systems, bridge deicing systems, weather information systems… etc.
There are several various wireless communication technologies that are being proposed to be integrated into ITS. There are short-range communication systems, long-range communication systems and even mid-range communication systems.
Apart from that, digital road signs are also being proposed. They will offer guidance to motorists by warning them of the state of road ahead. They will also remind them of the accepted speed limit. Technology is changing at a breakneck speed and every field of life has been served its fair share of technology advancement. Automotive service is not an exception to the trend. It has also changed over the years. The beauty there is that most of the technology advancement are geared towards maximum safety.