| Urban transportation seems to be on the cusp of a new era of "Smart mobility". The application of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will lead to interconnected road infrastructure, travelers and transportation modes resulting in higher safety, enhanced mobility, and minimum adverse environmental impacts. New technologies such as connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) are expected to provide considerable social and economic benefits. As well, the availability of a tremendous amount of real-time data "Big Data" is expected to completely change the ways in which urban transportation systems are designed, built, operated and maintained. One particular area that can benefit significantly from the application of advanced technologies is road safety. The importance of reducing the social and economic costs of road accidents cannot be overstated as 1.35 million people are killed annually in road crashes and many more are severely injured. The application of innovations that are both progressing and disrupting the status quo represents an opportunity for improved transportation safety. However, with the introduction of new modes of mobility and the complex interactions created by these different technologies within the transportation system, governments will need to rely on advanced research and analysis techniques to support policies towards the transition to these new forms of mobility. All these issues will be discussed and several methods and techniques developed in this area will be described with example projects from several agencies worldwide. |
Professor and Distinguished University Scholar
Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Transportation Safety and Advanced Mobili
University of British Columbia
| Tarek Sayed, Ph.D., FCAE, FEIC, FCSCE
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