Google – AFP, 3 February 2014
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Travelers
sit in traffic on Interstate 90 September 3, 2010 in Chicago, Illinois
(Getty/AFP/File, Scott Olson)
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Washington
— It is the stuff of sci-fi movies, but vehicles traveling on US roads will
soon be able to "talk" to one another to avoid accidents.
US
regulators gave the green light Monday to the use of vehicle-to-vehicle
communication technology that can exchange basic safety data such as speed and
position to help avoid collisions.
"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," said US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in announcing the
approval.
"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 US
remains the leader in the global automotive industry."
Approval
follows a test project begun in 2012 in which vehicles equipped with wireless
devices were used to warn drivers about specific hazards such as an impending
collision at a blind intersection, or a vehicle stopped ahead.
Officials
said the technology can help avert rear-end, lane change, and intersection
crashes. But the systems do not include technology such as automatic braking or
steering.
The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) said it is finalizing
its analysis and will publish a report for public comment, with the goal of
establishing rules for the new technology.
The agency
said the systems would include "several layers of security and privacy
protection" to ensure that vehicles can rely on messages sent from other
vehicles for potential safety problems.
NHTSA
acting administrator David Friedman said: "Decades from now, it's likely
we'll look back at this time period as one in which the historical arc of
transportation safety considerably changed for the better, similar to the
introduction of standards for seat belts, airbags and electronic stability
control technology."
Scott
Belcher, of the Intelligent Transportation Society of America, a trade group
representing transportation and technology industries, welcomed the
announcement.
"While
the auto industry has made great strides to reduce fatalities and injuries
after a crash, the next giant leap is to enable real-time communication between
vehicles and with the world around them so crashes can be avoided in the first
place," Belcher said in a statement.
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