Intelligent Vehicle / Highway System: a Survey

Traffic congestion in the largest cities of the world is a growing problem that has to be taken into account seriously, not only by governments, but also by the private sector. After an extensive survey in the field of Intelligent Vehicle / Highway System (IVHS), different alternatives are analyzed to solve this dilemma and the concept of Intelligent Vehicle / Highway System is proposed as the best solution. This work analyzes the latest trends in this area and compares the different options. In addition, comparisons between Europe, Japan and United States, highlighting the advancements in this field of each one of them was conducted. Ideas and procedures are unified while developing a wellstructured concept of Intelligent Vehicle / Highway System which contains separate fully-functional units with their own characteristics interrelated to each other to conform a flexible system that can respond in an effective way to solve the problem of traffic congestion. Some of the most relevant efforts in this area and their role in the great scale implementation of IVHS are described.