National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the US Department of Transportation (DOT) is taking steps to implement vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology for light vehicles.
The new technology will boost safety by allowing vehicles to communicate to each other and avoid crashes by exchanging basic safety data, such as speed and location to avoid crashes altogether.
With the safety data, vehicles can identify risks and provide drivers with warnings to avoid other vehicles from experiencing rear-end, lane change, and intersection crashes.
Currently under development, these safety applications can help to prevent imminent collisions but will not automatically operate any vehicle systems, such as braking or steering.
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "Vehicle-to-vehicle technology represents the next generation of auto safety improvements, building on the life-saving achievements we've already seen with safety belts and air bags."
"By helping drivers avoid crashes, this technology will play a key role in improving the way people get where they need to go while ensuring that the U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry," Foxx said.
NHTSA is also considering future actions on active safety technologies that rely on on-board sensors, which are expected to blend with the V2V technology.
