MINI AND MICROAUTOMOBILE FORUM: OVERVIEW AND POTENTIAL PROBLEMS; PART 2: MINI-MICRO PROBLEMS--INTRODUCTION
There is some potential for a smaller vehicle primarily because of buyer first cost and fuel economy. Safety did not appear to be a major item of buyer concern. It appears that we can expect a greater number of smaller vehicles in the traffic stream, particularly in and around some of the urban areas as a second vehicle, maybe for some of the younger drivers. If this occurs, what kind of problems can we expect? What features should we expect in this vehicle? What features would there be that might improve the safety? Are there some vehicle design features that would improve the compatibility between the vehicle, the driver and the roadway? What are the vehicle problems and how should they be resolved? The roadway, because of its cost, of course is slow to make transitions to accommodate vehicle changes. What are the roadway features that could be a problem with smaller vehicles? Can some of these problems be offset in cheap retrofit of roadway appurtenances? Is there a need for vehicle design and driver education to offset some of the problems? What is the scope of the costs when we talk about roadway revisions? The safety of smaller vehicles has recently been highlighted in the news, pointing out the problem. It appears to be quite a problem when we mix the smaller vehicles with the larger ones. Are there some items that could be taken care of to gear the driver for his operation of the smaller vehicle in the traffic stream? What has been the impact of these smaller vehicles as far as safety? Interwoven into these consideration, of course, are the existing laws, federal requirements, vehicle standards and liability considerations of smaller vehicles. Will there be a change in the vehicle safety standards? Can we expect some changes as far as liability? What approach is the insurance industry taking in this regard? (Author)
- Record URL:
-
Availability:
- Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00978515
-
Supplemental Notes:
- Distribution, posting, or copying of this PDF is strictly prohibited without written permission of the Transportation Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences. Unless otherwise indicated, all materials in this PDF are copyrighted by the National Academy of Sciences. Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
-
Corporate Authors:
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC United States 20001 -
Authors:
- Pline, J L
- Publication Date: 1983-9
Media Info
- Media Type: Digital/other
- Pagination: p. 15
-
Serial:
- Transportation Research Circular
- Issue Number: 264
- Publisher: Transportation Research Board
- ISSN: 0097-8515
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Driver training; Highway safety; Insurance; Liability; Subcompact automobiles; Traffic regulations; Vehicle design; Vehicle safety
- Uncontrolled Terms: Traffic laws
- Old TRIS Terms: Subcompact cars; Vehicular safety
- Subject Areas: Design; Highways; Law; Operations and Traffic Management; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment; I91: Vehicle Design and Safety;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 00378513
- Record Type: Publication
- Files: TRIS, TRB
- Created Date: Dec 30 1983 12:00AM