Although an automobile is a necessity and a convenience in the modern era, traffic accidents take a great toll on the society, both economically and socially. Korea has the unenviable record being one of the highest traffic accidents and fatality rates. In 2009, there were 5,838 fatalities on the roads. A new and systematic approach to safety policy development is necessary to reduce traffic casualties.

The goal of this research is the development of advanced safety vehicles and relevant assessment technologies. The results will make a contribution to Korea's national goal of “Reducing Traffic Casualties by Half.” There are four objectives in this research;​ the first objective is to develop technology that can reduce casualties in vehicle accidents, the second one is to establish advanced safety standards, the third one is to develop assessment technology for safety features integrated with information technology and the last one is to support the establishment of policies that can stimulate the commercialization and market penetration of these vehicles. The development plan was established with following criteria, such as the economic feasibility, safety enhancement, timeliness and redundancy under the above goal.

The research priorities were set after many elements were taken into consideration, such as target population to be protected, fatality reduction effects, technical feasibility and prospects. The planned timeline spans 7 years and 9 months, from December 2009 through September 2017 [1]. The research is divided into three stages;​ to reflect market variations and other development that cannot be foreseen at this moment the latter two stages will be finalized in the final year of the 1st stage which will end in 2012. The research subjects in the Stage 1 are as follow;​ vehicle compatibility, speed-sensitive active head restraint, commercial vehicle automatic emergency brake system, lane departure warning system, blind spot warning system, adaptive front light system and emergency rescue system.

The results of this research will eventually lead to the standardization, establishment of laws/regulations, safety criteria and vehicle safety ratings. This research could be used as resources the development of global technical regulations in UN/ECE/WP.29. It is hoped that this project will stimulate the growth of advanced safety vehicle market and have a synergy effect with the integration of the latest information technology. This project was supported by the Ministry of Land, Transport and Maritime Affairs of the Republic of Korea. Eleven research institutes, including the Korea Automobile Testing and Research Institute, Hyundai Motor Company and Seoul National University take part in this project.