NordicWay Evaluation Outcome Report: Finland

The ‘NordicWay Coop’ pilot in Finland included the provision of road safety-related minimum universal traffic information services. It was evaluated during a one-year field test with the HERE DTI application in mobile devices used by ordinary road users. The purpose of the Coop project was to assess the technical feasibility of the system and the information it provides as part of a cooperative traffic information system and readiness for wide-scale implementation, as well as its commercial potential and ecosystem model. Another purpose was to gain knowledge on cooperative services as a channel for safety-related information, and their impacts on driver behaviour and traffic management. A socio-economic assessment completed the evaluation. The expected impact mechanism for the service was that when the driver receives a cooperative warning of a hazardous situation or condition ahead, (s)he is aware of it earlier than without the warning (before seeing or detecting the actual situation or condition) and is thus better prepared. This is manifested in increased alertness, less multitasking and a smoother approach. Additionally, the traffic management centre not only receives information on hazardous situations or conditions that would not otherwise be detected by their traditional incident detection systems/mechanisms or road weather models, they also get it sooner. This is believed to result in better informed road users (improved travel quality), fewer primary and secondary accidents, less time spent in congestion, a slight drop in emissions, and increased road network performance/efficiency. The results showed that the cooperative system for providing safety-related traffic information through a cellular network is a technically feasible concept. The latencies of the system were short enough (median latency 0.3 seconds for mobile-server-mobile communication) for a driver information system, and the system architecture ensured cross-border interoperability. The HERE DTI application used in the field test followed the requirements by Car Connectivity Consortium and ESoP (European Statement of Principles) guidelines for applications used while driving. The service of receiving warnings and being able to warn others about hazardous situations on the road was well accepted by road users. They felt that it provided information that other services did not, and that the information was more detailed or better targeted. The drivers also reported that information on hazardous locations ahead affected their driving behaviour; concomitant changes in speed were observed in GPS data analysis. The direct safety impact on target roads was greatest for warnings of slipperiness and animals & people on the road, followed by warnings of roadworks and exceptional weather. Warnings of obstacles on the road, accidents or poor visibility were assessed to be least effective due to the small number of ‘target accidents’. In addition, over-reliance on the system being able to warn of hazards was considered to cause a slight increase in speed, also affecting safety. The overall assessment of the safety impact of the service for 2019 was a 0.00–0.09% reduction in injury accidents and a 0.00–0.08% drop in fatal accidents on motorways in Southern Finland. For 2030 the estimated impact was a 0.8–4.6% reduction in injury and non-injury accidents and a 0.6–4.0% drop in fatal accidents on all main roads. The service was also considered to have travel time benefits if the number of accidents and the ensuing delays were reduced. In conclusion, widespread penetration of the system is expected to generate societal benefits, especially from a smaller number of accidents leading to fewer traffic delays. The benefit-cost ratio was assessed to be at least 2.3 for the period 2019–2030, assuming linear growth up to widespread acceptance and use among road users in Finland.