MOVING AHEAD WITH SAFETY: DISCUSSING THE INTELLIGENT VEHICLE INITIATIVE

In November 1997, the US Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the Intelligent Vehicle Initiative (IVI), a cooperative research programme to bring advanced vehicle systems to the marketplace as soon as possible. This article reports an interview with the joint programme manager for the IVI, which is primarily a highway safety research programme with an annual budget of US$30M. It is a successor to the previous Automated Highway System (AHS) programme, but has shorter-term goals. Although IVI aims to bring devices to drivers in the near future and increase the rate at which technology can prevent fatalities and injuries on the roads, it still maintains a longer-term vision to automate many driving functions. IVI has now assembled all its working groups, which are responsible for bringing their ideas to the DOT. IVI is also a programme for US industry, and is preparing for the development of advanced vehicle electronics. It can create a global marketplace which US industry can use to its advantage. It is bringing together several other agencies. It will be based on four vehicle platforms: (1) cars, including vans and light lorries; (2) heavy commercial vehicles; (3) transit vehicles; and (4) specialised vehicles including emergency vehicles.