Abstract :
The paper puts the case for developing an automatic control system to augment the traffic capacity of motorways, and considers by means of a safety assessment of a particular system whether it may be practicable. The proposal uses lateral and low headway control systems for the right hand lanes of motorways. A vehicle would be driven under full manual control onto the right hand, low headway lane and would then be switched to automatic control. It would be guided along the lane at the speed at which the system is set. As it catches up with any vehicle its speed would be reduced so that it closely follows the vehicle just ahead. Other vehicles might then catch up with it and thus a `train´ of road vehicles would be formed. Any driver wishing to leave the train and the right hand lane would switch off automatic control and steer off the lane when a gap in the traffic opens up in the lane to its left
