scholarly journals New Technologies and Old Treaties

AJIL Unbound ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 114 ◽  
pp. 152-157
Author(s):  
Bryant Walker Smith

Every road vehicle must have a driver able to control it while in motion. These requirements, explicit in two important conventions on road traffic, have an uncertain relationship to the automated motor vehicles that are currently under development—often colloquially called “self-driving” or “driverless.” The immediate legal and policy questions are straightforward: Are these requirements consistent with automated driving and, if not, how should the inconsistency be resolved? More subtle questions go directly to international law's role in a world that artificial intelligence is helping to rapidly change: In a showdown between a promising new technology and an entrenched treaty regime, which prevails? Should international law bend to avoid breaking? If so, what kind of flexibility is appropriate with respect to both the status and the substance of treaty obligations? And what role should deliberate ambiguity play in addressing these obligations? This essay raises these questions through the concrete case of automated driving. It introduces the road traffic conventions, identifies competing interpretations of their core driver requirements, and highlights ongoing efforts at the Global Forum for Road Traffic Safety to reach a consensus.

2018 ◽  
Vol 231 ◽  
pp. 05003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arkadiusz Matysiak ◽  
Paula Razin

The article presents the analysis of the performance of the vehicles equipped with automated driving systems (ADS) which were tested in real-life road conditions from 2015 to 2017 in the state of California. It aims at the effort to assess the impact on the road safety the continuous technological advancements in driving automation might have, based on of the first large-scale, real-life test deployments. Vehicle manufacturers and other stakeholders testing the highly automated vehicles in California are obliged to issue yearly reports which provide an insight on the test scale as well as the technology maturity. The so-called 'disengagement reports' highlight the range and number of control takeovers between the ADS and driver, which are made either based on driver's decision or information provided by the vehicle itself. The analysis of these reports allowed to investigate the development made in automated driving technology throughout the years of tests, as well as the direct or indirect influence of the external factors (e.g. various weather conditions) on the ADS performance. The results show that there is still a significant gap in reliability and safety between human drivers and highly automated vehicles which has been yet steadily decreasing due to technology advancements made while driving in the specific infrastructure and traffic conditions of California.


Author(s):  
Niklas Grabbe ◽  
Michael Höcher ◽  
Alexander Thanos ◽  
Klaus Bengler

Automated driving offers great possibilities in traffic safety advancement. However, evidence of safety cannot be provided by current validation methods. One promising solution to overcome the approval trap (Winner, 2015) could be the scenario-based approach. Unfortunately, this approach still results in a huge number of test cases. One possible way out is to show the current, incorrect path in the argumentation and strategy of vehicle automation, and focus on the systemic mechanisms of road traffic safety. This paper therefore argues the case for defining relevant scenarios and analysing them systemically in order to ultimately reduce the test cases. The relevant scenarios are based on the strengths and weaknesses, in terms of the driving task, for both the human driver and automation. Finally, scenarios as criteria for exclusion are being proposed in order to systemically assess the contribution of the human driver and automation to road safety.


2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 251-258 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emilia Kuliczkowska

In this paper, road pavement collapses resulting from sewer leakage are divided into six categories: negligible, marginal, considerable, serious, very serious and catastrophic, with the categorization being based on two criteria, both related to traffic safety, i.e., the number of fatalities caused by sinkholes, and the extent of the road pavement damage. The causes of road pavement collapses are also discussed. The study involved analyzing the deterioration of sewer pipes with long service lives, focusing on the most common materials, i.e., concrete and vitrified clay. The results of the sewer inspections performed by the Kielce University of Technology suggest that the spot and linear defects detected in sewers of this type can be divided into three groups. The findings were used to formulate some recommendations on how to improve road traffic safety by preventing road pavement collapses.


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
pp. 75-81
Author(s):  
Marijan Rajsman ◽  
Georg-Davor Lisicin

The objective of this paper is to analyse road traffic safety in the Republic of Croatia based on the selected indicators which were used by the legislator in bringing the Law on Road Traffic Safety which has been in force since 28 July 2004, and the achieved effects in reaching the desired safety level in the three-year period from 2005 to 2007. The aim of the research is to establish a prognostic trend of the values of the studied indicators in the time period following the enforcement of new legal regulations. Adequate safety indicator values for the respective period were analyzed using the methods of analysis and synthesis, mathematical statistics as well as trend assessment based on the found mathematical prognostic models. Based on the results of this research it was found that the basic hypothesis according to which the implementation of new legal guidelines had to result in positive change in the condition of road traffic safety, failed to be confirmed. A change in the road traffic safety improvement strategy has been proposed as well as a more significant participation and recognition of the profession and science in this field which is of great significance for the society. KEY WORDS: influence of legal regulations, road traffic safety, effects and tendencies


2012 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 129-140
Author(s):  
Vinko Višnjić ◽  
Marko Pušić

The safety of road traffic in small towns in the Republic of Croatia is not at a satisfactory level. As proof, the safety of road traffic participants in the area of the town of Nova Gradiška and its wider environment has been studied and analyzed. The paper includes the available data in the period from 2000 to 2007. The analysis and the assessment of road traffic safety can be applied also to other towns and counties of the Republic of Croatia. Having in mind that there are 531 settlements in the Republic of Croatia (119 towns and 412 districts), out of which only 78 are larger than 10,000 inhabitants or 14.69% of the total number, which means that the analysis could be made for any settlement in the Republic of Croatia. The road traffic safety assessment was conceived according to the modified Smeed model which may be applied for any settlement or town. The road traffic safety analysis has led to the conclusion that safety of all the traffic participants is endangered. This paper provides solutions about what has to be done in order to reduce the danger to all the road traffic factors. KEY WORDS: drivers, traffic, traffic accidents, safety and small towns


Author(s):  
S. S. Aleksanin ◽  
S. V. Shport

Relevance. The paper is devoted to problems of ensuring road traffic safety in Russia, which is the public task of great importance involving the implementation of the policy for protecting people's health, life, and property.Intention. To look for ways of optimizing and implementing the measures aimed at preventing the technogenic emergencies.Methodology. To analyze the indicators of road traffic accidents in the Russian Federation over five years as well as the federal laws in the field of road traffic safety.Results and Discussion. Risk factors of traffic accidents include: alcohol intoxication, speed limit exceeded, overtaking in the wrong place, driver talking, smoking while driving, driver fatigue. In the Russian Federation, there is a persistent downward trend in the number of accidents. In 2019, 164,358 traffic accidents (-2.2 %; all comparisons vs 2018) occurred, 16,981 (-6.8 %) persons died, 210,877 (-1.9 %) persons were injured. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the number of accidents due violation of the Road Rules by drivers was 146,688 (-1 %); 14,420 (-5.7 %) persons died and 195,037 (-0.8 %) persons were injured. In 2019, road traffic accidents caused by drunk drivers tended to decrease (12,040; -3.5 %); 11,510 (-4 %) persons died and 160,725 (-0.4 %) persons were injured.Conclusion. Drivers' health is directly related to road traffic safety; health promotion would contribute to decreasing the number of road traffic accidents and traffic-related injuries.


Author(s):  
Manish Jagannath Datar

Abstract: The mountain roads are impacted by social, environmental and economic challenges. The financial management around the road construction and rehabilitation requires fine management and administrative skills to be done effectively by the local and the federal authorities. The objective of this study is to understand the factors affecting the low-cost road construction and rehabilitation in the unstable mountain areas and to analyze the solutions to the specific barriers. The materials and methods used here is a best evidence review focusing on the existing literature that emphasizes on the above-mentioned research problem. Global evidence has been used in order to draw a greater idea and explanation about the research topic. The results focus on the importance of technology leadership, financial management, risk control and mitigation, sociocultural benefits and socioeconomic scalability of the low-cost road construction and rehabilitation projects. The workforce management and stakeholder relations are very important as well for the effective running of the construction projects without any interference. The partnerships between the public and the private organizations is very much vital for ethical and regulatory compliances which is one of the major findings of the study. The sociocultural impact and the road traffic safety considerations are to be assessed properly in order to prevent and mitigate any project risk which is also a very important finding.


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