Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication is thought to have great potential for improving road safety. Supporters hope that it could help save thousands of lives that are lost each year in car accidents. On February 3, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that they are considering requiring V2V technology to be installed in all new vehicles in the future. This requirement is part of its efforts to ease traffic congestion and reduce the number of car crashes. The NHTSA intends to propose a rule mandating vehicle-to-vehicle communication by 2017, and has now approved funding for a project that will provide V2V framework. Developing framework will make it possible for vehicles to talk to each other and will determine how drivers receive messages from other vehicles.
Virginia Tech Project
The Virginia Tech Transportation Institute has been working on this technology for a while. The university has received $1 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to create a communication’s format for determining the frequency of messages that will inform drivers of road and weather conditions and when other vehicles that are driving too close. They are tasked with creating the order in which these messages are received. This funding is in addition of the $3 million that the institute received a few years ago for the development of connected-vehicle technology. Since then, the institute has been focused on vehicle-to-vehicle communication, researching existing collision-avoidance systems, and self-driving technology.
Other V2V Projects
Currently in the U.S., there are a few test beds for connected-vehicles, where the technology is being tested in real-world traffic scenarios. One such project is the test bed near Fairfax, Virginia, which costs $14 million. The project has 43 wireless infrastructure devices along Interstates 66 and 495, which communicate to vehicles that have this technology. The test bed was started in collaboration with the Virginia Department of Transportation.
The project aims to determine the best and safest way for cars to transmit information, so that it doesn’t create distractions and allow drivers to focus on the road. It should find most efficient method for a timely transmission of messages and alerts. Alerts must be simple and subtle, but are noticeable enough to alert the driver. Also, the intention is to create a system that will allow drivers to choose what type of information they want to receive, instead of being bombarded with numerous alerts on a particular situation on the road that may not not relevant for a specific driver.
Furthermore, the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute wants to create uniform warnings that would work on any type and brand of vehicle, and on different types of mobile devices. This will be one of the biggest challenges for the implementation of vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology.
The Future of The Roads
If this project shows that connected-vehicle technology is viable, it will encourage the government to invest in an infrastructure for its support. Hopefully, this will lead to seamless communication between vehicles and infrastructure, which should help reduce traffic congestion and air pollution.
For more, learn how the U.S. government is supporting Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communication.