<Lecture
Summary>
In a car-oriented society, women "love convenience, and
despise problems". Today, the average number of persons
riding in a vehicle has dropped to 1.4, and this ratio
continues to fall rapidly as the number of female drivers
increases. These figures show that female drivers are
using cars for commuting and shopping. The desires for
"unrestricted movement" and "not having to carry heavy
things" have nearly been fulfilled through the use of
cars. Women seem to be quite satisfied with using cars
since their activity zones are relatively small, leaving
no additional demand for something new. It is important
to first understand women's characteristics: They are
generally want their own freedom and are selfish, and
they are no eager to learn something new; however, they
tend to have a flair for new things at the same time.
Progress in the ITS field has been amazing, particularly in the past five
years. The major goals of ITS have been to successfully achieve (1) a reduction
in traffic accidents, (2) decrease traffic congestion (3) improve environmental
sustainability and (4) have a positive economic effect; changes that reflect
life as we know it. We should appreciate the improvements in quality of life.
I believe Japanese technologies are something we all should be proud and share with the world. At the same time, technologies are truly appreciated when used to their fullest potential. I hope that people involved in the development of ITS will always bear in mind about what is truly needed for people.
ITS services are closely related to the female driver's car life, and among
others, navigation and VICS, which provide traffic information, will be even
more useful if they can be combined with ETC services to guide us through the
toll booths. The emergency information service system is also an encouraging
development. Furthermore, it is important to provide information to the physically
impaired, including those who suffer parenthesis. In-vehicle multimedia is
the area where we see one of the greatest demands and expectations as a tool
for enjoying time and sharing space with family and friends. However, some
of the services may overlap services offered via computers and mobile phones.
For example, I do not personally find a great need to use in-vehicle multimedia
services to obtain restaurant and/or hotel information while in a car.
There are still some constraints when it comes to ETC, including: (1) Users must bear the installation expense every time they change their cars, and (2) people who do not have credit cards cannot use the services. There is no justifiable motivation for people to use the ETC service unless they frequently use highways and expressways. To promote use, a discount system has been introduced for drivers who travel more than 200 km between midnight and 4a.m. in the morning. This system may increase the number of trucks using highways and reduce the number using other roads, thereby contributing to a better environment. However, the discount system seems illogical since the primary purpose of the ETC service, as understood by the general public, is to reduce traffic congestion at tollgates. What is needed is to establish a discount system that further promotes the service based on ETC features; for example, a discount system in which the discount rate is determined by the number of times the vehicle passes through a tollgate. More and more women are using mobile phones and computers, and this is attributable to a greater sense of security thanks to improvements in quality, lower prices, and a slowdown in development speed. In order to further promote ETC, there must be a series of improvements in service-related areas such as a reduction in unit size, lower price, abolishment of installation fees, and discount systems based on users' needs.
Mobile phones can be used anywhere in Japan as long as there is someone to talk to, and computers can offer better value when used in rural areas for getting information and shopping via mail order. ETC differs from mobile phones and PCs in that it does not offer universal conveniences; that is, it offers nothing for those who do not need to use highways for transportation even though the highway is there. Therefore, other utilities of the ETC service must be found as soon as possible. The following are some examples I believe may be convincing services for female drivers: ETC systems for (1) drive-through purchases and gas stations, (2) toll collection and gate opening functions at parking lots, and (3) gate opening for condominiums, office buildings and garages of detached houses. In particular, female drivers do not like the current inconveniences related to (2) and (3), because they usually feel they are not good at navigating these places and often find it very troublesome. Such services should be developed in the early term.
In looking at the future development of ITS, I would like to suggest that
efforts be made to remove or reduce the "problems" female drivers do not want
to have, even though they may still be enjoying something convenient. By this,
I mean it is necessary to improve hardware such as simplifying procedures,
lowering toll fees, and improving public relations. At the same time, I hope
to see much more progress and resourcefulness in software improvement.