Intelligent transportation systems - Value adder for users or nerd's toy?

Globalisation of both markets and supply has been nowhere more obvious than in motor cars. These vehicles create not only the most free economic pipel ine known to man but also a revolution in personal freedom. They are unlike ly to go away; we have to find ways of living with them by coping with the environmental problems and the many forms of traffic problem: congestion, d riving and support skills and car crime. Ln other areas, notably manufactur ing and commerce, automation and advanced communications have enabled radic al improvements in quality, productivity and environmental impact. This eff ect has yet to reach road transport in volume; the environmental and traffi c problems are growing at least as fast as the populations of vehicles grow . The risk with such an important enabler as telematics is that it is seen as a plaything for gadget-minded users, rather than a key enabler for ongoi ng use of the car in the face of unrelenting pressures of congestion and en vironmental damage.