Field operational tests (FOTs) – (still) the ultimate answer to impact assessment?

Kapitel i bok, 2024

During the past decades, various smart functions have been introduced into vehicles (including passenger cars, trucks, and buses). The primary motives behind the implementation of these and similar systems have been to increase traffic safety, improve efficiency, enhance convenience, and promote an overall smarter utilisation of vehicles and roads. Conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the systems have been based on an abundance of driving simulator studies, studies on test tracks, and limited trials in real traffic. More extensive trials have been completed to understand more in-depth the impact of different functions and systems and how the systems are used by ordinary people in real traffic and over a more extended period. Several such field studies – or field operational tests (FOTs) – have been conducted over the years in, for example, Australia, Canada, Japan, and the USA, as well as in Europe, with the large European FOTs conducted between 2012 and 2015. The further development of automated vehicles imply a further need for FOTs. However, while FOTs offer significant potential for studying the impact of different ITS solutions, conducting large-scale studies of this nature requires substantial resources and significant efforts related to project management and coordination, as well as data collection and analysis. Size has been shown to be a complicating factor and it is possible that future FOTs will be smaller and more focused. Nevertheless, the FESTA methodology can form a fundamental framework also for future FOTs.