Ø Risk?

Ø RISK?

RAIN POURING DOWN onto Odaiba’s ultramodern buildings, bone-chilling cold, lead-gray skies, vehicles and humans wandering aimlessly... Organizers of Japan’s Intelligent Transport Systems-Safety 2010 could not have asked for a better scenario.

Under real conditions, representatives from Toyota, Kawasaki, Honda, Suzuki, Daihatsu and others prepared to test the latest “smart” technologies packed into their vehicles and the region’s structures. The intention was to pressure-test these driver and rider aids before they are mass-marketed sometime in 2010.

Origins of this project date back to 2001 and the “e-Japan Strategy.” This wide-ranging plan links vehicles, pedestrians, roads and towns in hopes of eradicating traffic jams, reducing accidents and eliminating fatalities.

Motorcyclists have already benefited from adapted automatic tollpayment units-no more fumbling for toll tickets or loose change buried in a jacket pocket.

That’s only the tip of the iceberg, as ITS is an umbrella for a number of interesting developments. Smartway, for example, informs drivers and riders on the state of traffic, potential obstacles and services. Driving Safety Support Systems (DSSS) allows vehicles and infrastructure to talk to one another, the data received via infrared, FM or VICSequipped onboard GPS.

Although these technologies are intended as motoring aids, vigilance remains essential. As one project leader put it, “These systems are designed to help, but they will never be able to avoid an accident with 100 percent accuracy...”

—.Laurent Benchana/Nippon News