The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), part of the U.S. Dept. of Transportation (DOT), said the technology would improve safety by helping vehicles avoid collisions through exchange of basic safety data. The communications occur 10 times per second, relaying such information as speed and position of vehicles.
The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications allow for 360-degree "situational awareness" for the vehicle and the driver, analyzing whether it's safe to pass on a two-lane road or make a left turn across oncoming traffic, or alerting the driver of a vehicle approaching an intersection at speed, for example.
V2V technology would provide warnings to drivers, but would not automatically operate vehicle systems such as braking or steering.
The safety applications have been tested and demonstrated with everyday drivers under both controlled and real-world test conditions, according to the NHTSA.
The V2V technology does not record or exchange personal information or track movement, the DOT said. The system is being designed to contain several layers of security and privacy protection.
The NHTSA is finalizing a year's worth of data and will publish a report on the communication for public comment in the coming weeks.
