Some results from DRIVE

Interim results that have come from the work of the V1051 project Procedure for Safety Submissions for Road Transport Informatics in the DRIVE research and development program are discussed. The DRIVE program involves the application of information technology to problems of improving road safety, decreasing road congestion and decreasing environmental pollution caused by road transport. Programmable digital computer hardware and software would provide improved or new functionality to road transport systems. The authors concentrate on two aspects: the user-friendliness of formal specifications to engineers trained in a noncomputer sector and the imposition of a statutory evaluation and certification scheme for safety-critical software. While the intention is to produce safer systems, the result is increased complexity. This contradicts good design practice and is the reason for project V1051, which ensures that any safety critical road transport informatic (RTI) component is produced safely. Project V1051 applies to all RTI products and systems, and includes both hardware and software