Mobile systems applied to traffic management and control and traffic safety have the potential to shape the future of road transportation. The following innovations, that will be deployed on a large scale, could reshape road traffic management practices:
– the implementation of connected vehicles with global navigation satellite (GNSS) system receivers;
– the autonomous car revolution;
– the spreading of smartphone-based systems and the development of Mobile Cooperative Web 2.0 which is laying the base for future development of systems that will also incorporate connected and autonomous vehicles;
– an increasing need for sustainability of transportation in terms of energy efficiency, traffic safety and environmental issues.
This paper intends to provide a state of the art on current systems and an anticipation of how mobile systems applied to traffic management and safety could lead to a completely new transportation system in which safety and congestion issues are finally properly addressed.