Overview
Many of the accidents reported on the roads and motorways are due to failure on the part of the driver to anticipate what is happening on the road ahead, sharp bends, steep gradients, etc. Sometimes, that failure to see ahead is compounded by a poor understanding of the vehicle's behaviour, given its specific characteristics. In this type of extreme situation, the consequences are particularly serious.
Informing the driver sufficiently early of any facts relative to the so-called 'risk' issues ahead and alerting him whenever his driving (speed, course, etc) appears inappropriate for the road section he is about to enter, would enable the driver to increase his level of anticipation and therefore adapt his driving accordingly to the situation ahead.
The aim of SafeMAP is to develop a new navigation map or geo-localised database concept including road safety-related data, evaluate its socio-economic impact and its suitability for drivers and subsequently propose examples of an on-board application to aid 'anticipation'.
In this context relevant technical specifications are also developed, and organisational as well as juridical requirements for creating and maintaining this database examined.
The final outcome of the project is a comprehensive 'decisional aid' to be used by relevant stakeholders (authorities, map providers, car industry) in the context of their decision making towards the implementation of e-safety systems.
The added value of this project compared to other on-going projects is that it offers local authority stake holdings in order to support private suppliers wherever the market is not solvent.
In order to achieve the above objectives, the German and French partners of SafeMAP organised their research and development work into four themes over 2½ years, with the following objectives:
Theme 1: Defining the contents of the SafeMAP database:
- identify those zones of the road network presenting a high rate of accidents due partly to critical geometry and/or inappropriate speed, including an accident study in France and Germany;
- identify the circumstances and typical accident scenarios wherein the specific road characteristics and/or inappropriate speed are the cause of the accident;
- evaluate the foreseeable gains in terms of safety and provide a cost/benefit analysis;
- identify the relevant road safety data to be entered into the database.
Theme 2: Feasibility of a cartographic database devoted to road safety:
- define the specifications of a digital cartographic database;
- evaluate the resources required for gathering and maintaining data entered into database.
Theme 3: Feasibility and evaluation of the on-board ‘anticipation aid’ application:
- evaluate the cost of developing the on-board ‘anticipation aid’ application;
- eefine the reference architecture of such an on-board system;
- formulate standardisation-related recommendations (data format, access, etc.);
- demonstrate the positive impact on driver behaviour and on road safety;
- outline ‘business models’ for data provision;
- develop examples of the on-board ‘anticipation aid’ application;
- evaluate the suitability for the driver (understanding, ergonomics, behaviour, etc.) and the associated legal issues;
- formulate recommendations for its development and deployment in the market.