Smart technology that could prevent or reduce the seriousness of many auto accidents is being tested by researchers in the biggest pilot project to date.
Researchers have fitted almost 3,000 cars, buses and trucks with “connected” Wi-Fi technology as part of a year-long safety initiative to improve traffic flow and make the road safer by avoiding auto crashes.
Vehicles and infrastructure will be able to “talk” to each other in real time, a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated.
The trial on the streets of Ann Arbor in Michigan began on August 2012 and forms an important part of a 12 month safety pilot project by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
As an experienced Houston auto injury lawyer, I can see this technology has potential to make our roads safer, although its effects may not be felt until some time into the future.
I have reported on numerous crashes at times of peak congestion in Houston.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and elected officials and community and industry leaders attended the launch at the University of Michigan campus in August 2012. They said the largest road test to date of connected vehicle crash avoidance technology, offered great potential.
“Today is a big moment for automotive safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “This cutting-edge technology offers real promise for improving both the safety and efficiency of our roads. That is a winning combination for drivers across America.”
The project is the world’s first test of connected vehicle technology under real road conditions.
“The test cars, trucks and buses, most of which have been supplied by volunteer participants, are equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication devices that will gather extensive data about system operability and its effectiveness at reducing crashes,” stated the NHTSA press release.
NHTSA officials say the safety technology could help drivers “avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five unimpaired vehicle crashes.”
Under the test vehicles will send electronic data messages and receive them from other vehicles making them aware of dangers such as hazards of an impending collision at an intersection with bad visibility, a car switching lanes in the blind spot of another or a rear end collision with a vehicle stopped ahead.
“Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety – but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
Researchers have fitted almost 3,000 cars, buses and trucks with “connected” Wi-Fi technology as part of a year-long safety initiative to improve traffic flow and make the road safer by avoiding auto crashes.
Vehicles and infrastructure will be able to “talk” to each other in real time, a press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated.
The trial on the streets of Ann Arbor in Michigan began on August 2012 and forms an important part of a 12 month safety pilot project by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
As an experienced Houston auto injury lawyer, I can see this technology has potential to make our roads safer, although its effects may not be felt until some time into the future.
I have reported on numerous crashes at times of peak congestion in Houston.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and elected officials and community and industry leaders attended the launch at the University of Michigan campus in August 2012. They said the largest road test to date of connected vehicle crash avoidance technology, offered great potential.
“Today is a big moment for automotive safety,” said Secretary LaHood. “This cutting-edge technology offers real promise for improving both the safety and efficiency of our roads. That is a winning combination for drivers across America.”
The project is the world’s first test of connected vehicle technology under real road conditions.
“The test cars, trucks and buses, most of which have been supplied by volunteer participants, are equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication devices that will gather extensive data about system operability and its effectiveness at reducing crashes,” stated the NHTSA press release.
NHTSA officials say the safety technology could help drivers “avoid or reduce the severity of four out of five unimpaired vehicle crashes.”
Under the test vehicles will send electronic data messages and receive them from other vehicles making them aware of dangers such as hazards of an impending collision at an intersection with bad visibility, a car switching lanes in the blind spot of another or a rear end collision with a vehicle stopped ahead.
“Vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to be the ultimate game-changer in roadway safety – but we need to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland.
