AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY AND DRIVER BEHAVIOUR: SAFETY DEMANDS FOR SUSTAINABLE MOBILITY

This paper presents a transport scenario to save energy without restricting mobility, by using smaller and lighter cars and more cycling and walking; it also discusses the scenario's safety problems. Possible ways to reduce energy consumption per vehicle/km could benefit from the following new technology areas: (1) increasing 'overall efficiency', defined as the ratio of power at the wheels to fuel energy rate; (2) reducing driving resistance; and (3) decreasing car weight and power. Tables show the improvements in the performance of these technologies, that can be expected in the fairly near future. There is still a vast scope for improving the fuel efficiency of cars. A lighter car with a small-displacement engine uses less energy per vehicle-km than a heavier car. Growth in traffic can be controlled by a 'nodal' land-use strategy, where travel inside urban nodes would be by cycling and walking, and internodal travel would be by cars and public transport. Road accident data from Denmark and Sweden show that the increased safety of occupants of heavier cars is largely at the expense of other road users' safety. To make the author's scenario compatible with current safety requirements, the behaviour of today's heavy-car drivers would have to improve. For the covering abstract, see IRRD 886884.

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/isbn/9264148205
• Corporate Authors:

  Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

  2, rue André Pascal
  Paris,   France  75775 Paris Cedex 16
• Authors:
  • VIBE-PETERSEN, J
• Publication Date: 1996

Language

• Undetermined

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: p. 377-84
• Serial:
  • TOWARDS CLEAN TRANSPORT. FUEL-EFFICIENT AND CLEAN MOTOR VEHICLES. CONFERENCE ORGANISED BY THE OECD AND THE IEA. HOSTED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF MEXICO
  • Publisher: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Automobiles; Behavior; Conferences; Drivers; Driving; Economic efficiency; Energy conservation; Fuel consumption; Mobility; Motors; Policy; Public transit; Safety; Size; Weight
• Uncontrolled Terms: Decreases; Efficiency
• Geographic Terms: Denmark; Sweden
• ITRD Terms: 9001: Behaviour; 1243: Car; 8525: Conference; 9009: Decrease; 8028: Denmark; 9014: Dimension; 1772: Driver; 1855: Driving (veh); 5911: Efficiency; 212: Energy conservation; 232: Fuel consumption; 9105: Mobility (pers); 1334: Motor; 173: Policy; 744: Public transport; 1665: Safety; 8109: Sweden; 5485: Weight
• Subject Areas: Economics; Energy; Environment; Policy; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00733071
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Transport Research Laboratory
• ISBN: 92-64-14820-5
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Mar 24 1997 12:00AM