PROMETHEUS and DRIVE: their implications for traffic managers

The European research and development initiatives cited share the common objectives of applying advanced technology to the reduction of road accident risk and improving traffic efficiency. The central theme of PROMETHEUS is the intelligent copilot; the program is focused on systems that aid the driver directly. DRIVE concentrates on the infrastructure of systems. The background on road throughput is discussed. It is concluded that the changes due to DRIVE will come mainly from the application of dynamic route guidance and information systems, and are likely to be evolutionary; those due to PROMETHEUS could increase the maximum effective throughput of roads by between twenty and several hundred percent. However, major problems remain to be solved.<>