We have an opportunity to move away from a transport system centred on car ownership.
A new transport system can be:
- More efficient,
- Safer,
- Less polluting and
- More accessible to larger parts of society.
Car-centred personal transport takes a heavy toll on the economy, society and environment. For instance:
- Road accidents caused 26,134 deaths and 1.09 million injuries in Europe in 2015.
- Road congestion causes productivity losses of about 1-2% of the EU’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
- Road transport emitted 852.3 million tonnes of CO2 in the EU in 2015. This is more than 70% of emissions from all modes of transport.
But, under current trends, road transport will continue to be the main mode of transport. Private cars will remain dominant.
Reducing the role of private cars could reduce the impact of the transport sector on e.g. congestion, safety, and environment - without giving up our transport needs.
Coordinating routing and access to road transport:
- May improve traffic flow, transport efficiency and, energy consumption.
- Can reduce travel time for all vehicles. Providing updated information won't be enough.
- Can advance public transport and other more sustainable transport modes.
Automation could remove barriers to getting around unaided. This will enhance the lives of those prevented from driving, such as the elderly, young, people with medical conditions.
Existing in-vehicle autonomous technologies can make traffic safer, for example:
- Collision warning,
- Lane departure warning,
- Parking assist,
- Navigation assist.
Download the report
The Future of Road Transport - Implications of automated, connected, low-carbon and shared mobility
Related Content
Report: The Future of Road Transport - Implications of automated, connected, low-carbon and shared mobility
Facts4EUFuture - a series of reports for the future of Europe