The Automated Highway System: an idea whose time has come.

The Automated Highway System--An Overview

The demand on our overburdened highway system is increasing every day. Traffic is snarled, drivers are snarling. What should be a routine 20-minute trip can take hours, as traffic congestion multiplies the effects of individual variations in driving performance "as determined by physical abilities, knowledge, experience and, indeed, personality." (1) We lose control over our plans and schedules; we rush because we're late; we cause accidents and create ill will through recklessness and bad temper. This, in turn, makes the highway system even more sluggish, unpredictable, and nonresponsive to driver needs.

A solution is waiting in the wings. The Automated Highway System (AHS) program, stepped up in response to the mandate of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) to "develop an automated highway and vehicle prototype from which future fully automated intelligent vehicle-highway systems can be developed," will provide the vision and technology to make highway driving efficient, safe, and predictable.

In an automated highway system, the car will be guided by the road rather than by the driver. Sensors and communication devices will link the road and the vehicle to maximize driving performance. Driver error will be reduced and ultimately, with full implementation, eliminated.

"This high-performance highway system, seen as the next major evolutionary stage of surface transportation, is expected to be the focus of major U.S. implementation efforts early in the next century, much like the Interstate Highway System program was the focus of the last half of this century." (2)

Although AHS represents a long-term effort, perhaps the most exciting aspect of it is that the technology is ready now. The technology to automate routine driving functions exists and will be demonstrated in 1997.

AHS Benefits

Research has proven that the benefits of AHS on the performance of the existing U.S. transportation system will, over time, be enormous and far-reaching. Over the long term, traffic congestion will be reduced; safety will be enhanced to produce a virtually collision-free environment; driving will be predictable and reliable. More specifically, the advantages of AHS implementation include the following:

* More vehicles can be accommodated on the highway. The number of vehicles per hour per lane can be significantly increased as traffic speeds are standardized and increased and headway distances are decreased.