Intelligent Vehicle Highway Systems (IVHS) have the goal of improving road safety, driving efficiency and environmental friendliness of highway systems. IVHS encompasses a range of intelligent car and intelligent highway technologies that were first suggested in the 1960s when research initiatives in Europe, Japan and the United States were launched.

Intelligent highways are developing from advanced traffic management systems. For example, the traffic control center in Valencia, Spain, monitors traffic and manages the message boards that provide information to the driver and also provides real-time information on the Worldwide Web.

The highway infrastructure has now expanded, and technological advances have enabled intelligent highway systems such as automatic tolling, coordinated traffic signal control, motorway ramp metering studies, variable message signs, and traffic and incident detection systems. In the UK, the Highways agency has undertaken a pilot scheme called

Active Traffic Management on a 10-mile stretch of 3-lane highway used by 120,000 vehicles per day1. The goal of Active Traffic Management is to provide enhanced information to drivers including reliable journey times, as well as to reduce congestion and hasten response time to incidents.

Technological developments have also enabled vehicles to become more intelligent. For example, radar technology advances have included the serial introduction of the TRW Automotive AC10 and AC20 Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) systems that sense the traffic ahead of the vehicle and interact with the vehicle engine and brakes to maintain a minimum interval (time between host and target vehicle). Another example is TRW's Video Lane Detection sensor that facilitates systems that help the driver in the lane-keeping task. Lane Departure warning systems inform the driver of impending “unintentional” lane departures through audible warnings, simulated rumble strips, visual indicators, or haptic means such as hand wheel (steering wheel) torque modulations or seat or