135The Future of Intelligent Transport Systems. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-818281-9.00012-7
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Chapter 12
The societal impact of ITS
12.1 Introduction
ITS and their latest advances (Artificial intelligence-enabled management sys-
tems, autonomous driving, electric-connected vehicles, etc.) are enormously
important not only considering the benefits they bring to the economy but also
to the society as a whole. The following subsections explain how ITS (with a
focus on disruptive technologies) can pave the way for changes in the funda-
mentals of our society.
12.2 Smart mobility
12.2.1 Overview
According to the Electric Vehicle Outlook report by Bloomberg New Energy
Finance (Bloomberg, 2019) the number of cars produced worldwide is expected
to rise, and so does the number and ratio of electric vehicles, which is expected
to reach 32% of the world’s vehicles by 2040. Europe is the second main car
manufacturer after China and it is vital for Europe to keep its strong place in
the mobility market. The societal challenges for the smart mobility sector relate
to the CO 2 emission reduction, improvement of the quality of air especially in
urban areas, development of a sustainable mobility plan for all (including the
elderly and impaired), reduction of accidents and congestion. The adoption of
next-generation ITS is expected to address all of them.
The deployment of ITS will generate an impact on smart mobility and
in alignment with the ERTRAC report on automated driving Roadmap
(ERTRAC, 2019) in different ways. The social impact of ITS-related technolo-
gies concerns the following areas:
• Safety: enhanced traffic safety.
• Increased accessibility: facilitate access to city centers; reducing the time
that people spend in traffic.
• Road capacity: better use of available road infrastructure.
• User comfort: increase user’s degrees of freedom while activating the auto-
mated-driving system.
• Environment: reduce CO 2 footprint by multiredundant, electrified propulsion.
• Social inclusion: guarantee access to new ITS for all, including people with
disabilities and the elderly.