digital ditch: creating political support for digital roads 1 digital ditch: creating political...

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

Digital Ditch:

Creating political support for digital roads

Jesper Sølund

Head of Press and Documentation Department

Danish Road Safety Council

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

The ditch: • The road safety potential in digital roads is big • Political knowledge about road safety potential is small

From ditch to bridge:How to create political support for digital Roads ?

Results imply actions from the road safety organizations on

opportunities and possibilities

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

Conditions for political support:

1. Cost effective 2. Must offer substantial influence 3. Popular among voters 4. Results at short term 5. Represent a logical new solution 6. Fulfill demands7. Focus in the media

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

ATV

1.Cost effective: The technology is getting cheaper

1 cm highway

1 mb in a computer

Price

Time

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

2. Must offer substantial influence

Attraction: • Political intervention can form the future • Clear political means

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

3. Popular among voters

Road safety by offering support

instead of

Road safety by control and sanctions

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

4. Results at short term

• Concrete and tangible improvements for road users (ESP, BAS, GPS etc.)

• Effect is visible and quickly measured

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

5. Represent a logical new solution

A well developed physical infrastructure is the

backbone in all modern societies

A digital infrastructure is a logical next step and a shift in

paradigm from traditional technical road solutions to digital

integrated solutions for driver, car and road

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

6. Fulfill demands

The technological facilities in new vehicles offers

services at many levels.

It demands more developed digital roads to use

many of the facilities

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

7. Focus in the media

A continuing focus in the press on

the road safety potential and other benefits

and the need for political actions for digital roads

generate political awareness

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

Conclusion:

• Many easy points to gain• Few dangerous obstacles

Lets go!!

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

Where to go – the goals for political support

Goals for Danish Road Safety council:

1. Confirmation of a national action plan for use of digital technology to improve road safety

2. Establishing a public development fund for demonstration projects

3. Changed tax rules to benefit dissemination of approved safety technologies in vehicles

4. Insurance price depending on installed safety devices 5. Development and implementation of a national digital

speed limit map6. Here and now dissemination of technologies already

developed and documented effective.

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

How to go – the means for political support

Danish approach :

• Press strategy to bring focus on digital roads: GPS possibilities, digital speed limit maps, e-call ect. Tax reduction policies safety devices

• Seminars and conferences for politicians: ATV, ITS-Denmark, Nordic conference,

• On the agenda for the Danish Road safety Commission – revision of national road safety action plan 2002-2012

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Digital Ditch: Creating political support for digital roads

Thanks!