Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program

Cars that talk to each other may seem the stuff of movies, but they may soon be able to do just that. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) is partnering with the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership, a coalition of nine auto manufacturers, to launch the Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program. The program utilizes wireless technologies called Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC) that allow vehicles to communicate with one another and with the surrounding infrastructure in an effort to reduce car accidents.

The program evaluate how real drivers react to vehicle-to-vehicle applications in cars that do things like warn the driver about hazards in intersections, an upcoming red light, other cars breaking suddenly, icy road conditions or simply assist a driver pass another car safely. Researchers want to determine how accepting drivers are of the technology and whether significant driver distractions arise from the warnings the applications give to drivers.

The program will tour the country for six months beginning in August 2011, travelling to a different location each month. Researchers will have 100 local drivers test 24 cars equipped with Dedicated Short Range Communications wireless technology in controlled environments. Researchers selected the tests sites in an effort to get a mixture of urban, suburban and rural environments to adequately assess the range of utility of the technology.

After the Driver Acceptance Clinics conclude, the next phase of the program will involve the DOT releasing 2,000-3,000 vehicles equipped with DSRC onto the nation's roads beginning in the fall of 2012 to evaluate how they do in "real world" condtions. The results from both the Driver Acceptance Clinics and the "real world" tests will help the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) determine whether the technology is advanced enough to warrant eventually requiring manufacturers to equip all new cars with DSRC capabilities.

Advocates of connected vehicle technology maintain that the cars inspire huge potential for reducing auto accidents. A NHTSA study indicates that such technology could possibly eliminate up to 81 percent of motor vehicle accidents not involving drunk driving because the technology gives drivers a 360 degree awareness of driving conditions and alerts them to dangers that they normally would not be able to perceive unassisted.

Researchers claim another benefit to connected cars will be smoother traffic flow. Drivers can receive advanced warning of traffic congestion on their intended routes and alter their paths if necessary. Additionally, urban planners will analyze the traffic pattern data that the connected car technology gathers to aid them in making roads less congested.

DSRC technology is still being tested and researchers are not certain how drivers will adapt to it. If things go as researchers hope, however, soon talking cars will not be just a movie phenomenon, but a useful way for drivers to avoid accidents.