Driving through tunnels safely
Safety in tunnels is a concern for all drivers. Rightly so, since limited space allows reduced reaction time. With EU funding, the aptly named Safe tunnel project aimed at helping to reduce the total number of accidents and incidents in road tunnels by improving safety measures. Ways to do this involved boosting the knowledge of vehicle status to detect vehicle anomalies and developing new ways to control speed within a tunnel. Four applications were developed into an overall system. They include fault forecasting, access and vehicle control, telecontrol of vehicle speed and distance and emergency messages to the driver. These intrinsic applications were made possible through integrating on-board vehicle devices with ITS infrastructures via a public wireless network. To arrive at implementation of the applications the work covered all levels, including vehicle, infrastructure and communication network. The main highlight of the system is that it can be acquired by setting up a common European directive connected to e-safety initiatives such as electronic fee collection and e-call.
