CONGESTION, LOST PRODUCTIVITY, LOST LIVES CREATES NEED FOR INTELLIGENT TRANSPORTATION

Why is the federal government paying $14 million for a 17-week Intelligent Transportation System demonstration in Atlanta?

The answer is an easy one if you look at the lives and productivity lost in the U.S. each year to traffic congestion and accidents.

"The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that American industry loses $100 billion dollars a year because of increased traffic congestion," said David J. Mitchell, senior vice president of Battelle's Transportation Division.

"Traffic accidents claim the lives of 40,000 people in the United States each year. Couple that with 5 million injuries from accidents, and you're talking about an incredible number of dead and injured."

Traffic congestion is a problem for anyone who ventures out of their home. Battelle has been assisting the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration in developing Intelligent Transportation Systems that will save lives and alleviate congestion, which will in turn increase U.S. productivity.

The Intelligent Transportation Systems that Battelle has worked on include:

• Automated highways. Vehicles would be programmed automatically before entering the freeway. The driver would then relax while his or her car automatically followed a predetermined route.
• Automatic tolling booths. Cars will no longer stop at toll booths. Radio transceivers at the toll booths will read a transponder on a vehicle, and the owner will receive a monthly bill.
• Satellite mapping. Computers in vehicles will take information from satellites, giving drivers such information as their location, the distance to the next exit, and the amenities available at the exit.
• On-board, compact disk-based navigational devices.