An experimental automated highway system could increase road safety in future by eliminating the human element

An automated highway system (AHS) or a Smart Road is a proposed transport system that aims to increase safety on the road by eliminating the human element. While there are several improvements in both active and passive safety technology, the only thing that can’t be improved on, is the person behind the wheel. So, by attempting to transport people in an intelligent driver-less car on specified routes, the possibility of accidents can be greatly reduced, if not eliminated.

One such scheme calls for a roadway with magnetised stainless-steel spikes driven one metre apart in its centre. The car senses the spikes to measure its speed and to locate the centre of the lane. The spikes have either magnetic north or magnetic south facing up.

The roadway thus provides small amounts of digital data illustrating interchanges, recommended speeds, etc. The cars have power steering and automatic speed controls, which are controlled by a computer, which, in turn, enables them to organise themselves into platoons of eight to 25. The platoons drive themselves a metre apart from one another, so that air resistance is minimised. The distance between each platoon is the conventional braking distance. If anything is to go wrong, the maximum number of harmed cars will be one platoon.

This technology was first proposed by Dr Robert E Fenton of Ohio State University.