A Review of the Potential for Vehicle On-Board Diagnostic Safety Systems

State and Federally mandated vehicle inspection programs have failed to prevent fatal accidents due to worn parts or failed vehicle systems. Intelligent Vehicle/Highway Systems (IVHS) are being implemented and taking many forms - from traffic information systems to sophisticated automated control of vehicles in motion. W i h IVHS, detecting unsafe vehicle components and systems in use becomes an important issue. This paper looks at On-Board Diagnostics (OBD) and examines how they may be applied, along with supplementary systems, to improve safety in automobiles, especially in an automated control enviroment.