Written by Marketa Pape,
Digital technologies, and systems based on them, are being rapidly introduced in transport all over the world. Cooperative intelligent transport systems (C-ITS) in road transport are part of this development, and one element in a wider drive towards vehicle automation. These systems use technologies allowing road vehicles to communicate with other vehicles or road users and roadside infrastructure. By increasing the quality and reliability of information, C-ITS can improve road safety and traffic efficiency as well as reduce energy consumption and emissions from transport, provided that cyber security and data protection are ensured.
The European Commission has put forward a strategy outlining the path towards commercial deployment of C-ITS in the EU by 2019, seeking to avoid market fragmentation and maintain EU competitiveness. The main steps proposed are to adopt a legal framework for providing investors with legal certainty, to make EU funding available for projects, and to continue cooperation with EU stakeholders and international partners. The strategy addresses key issues such as data protection and cyber-security, systems interoperability and technical specifications. In the meantime, several ongoing pilot projects are consolidating the experience to be shared.
The European Parliament, a long-time supporter of C-ITS and defender of personal data protection, is preparing a report on the strategy.
Read this complete briefing on ‘EU strategy on cooperative intelligent transport systems‘.
