Quantifying the Foregone Benefits of Intelligent Speed Assist Due to the Limited Availability of Speed Signs across Three Australian States

Abstract

By being able to communicate the speed limit to drivers using speed sign recognition cameras, Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) is expected to bring significant road safety gains through increased speed compliance. In the absence of complete digital speed maps and due to limited cellular connectivity throughout Australia, this study estimated the forgone savings of ISA in the event that speed signs are solely relied upon for optimal advisory ISA function. First, speed-related fatalities and serious injuries (FSI) in the Australian states of Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland (2013–2018) were identified, and published effectiveness estimates of ISA were applied to determine the potential benefits of ISA. Subsequently, taking into account speed sign presence across the three states, the forgone savings of ISA were estimated as FSI that would not be prevented due to absent speed signage. Annually, 27–35% of speed-related FSI in each state are unlikely to be prevented by ISA because speed sign infrastructure is absent, equating to economic losses of between AUD 62 and 153 million. Despite a number of assumptions being made regarding ISA fitment and driver acceptance of the technology, conservative estimates suggest that the benefits of speed signs placed consistently across road classes and remoteness levels would far outweigh the costs expected from the absence of speed signs. The development and utilisation of a methodology for estimating the foregone benefits of ISA due to suboptimal road infrastructure constitutes a novel contribution to research. This work provides a means of identifying where infrastructure investments should be targeted to capitalise on benefits offered by advanced driver assist technologies.