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V2V: Cars Communicating to Prevent Crashes, Deaths, Injuries

V2V: Cars Communicating to Prevent Crashes, Deaths, Injuries

Communication is a key ingredient for success: in business, in personal relationships, and even in sports—as we saw in last night’s Super Bowl. Soon, it will also become an essential factor in automotive safety due to a technology known as vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications.

V2V allows cars to “talk” to one another—exchanging basic safety-relevant data, such as speed, direction, and relative position—10 times per second. When cars share this information at such a fast rate, they can "see" all of the vehicles around them, sense the possibility of a crash, and warn drivers to avoid the crash.

Today, I was proud to announce another big step in V2V: After years of research and unprecedented coordination between industry and across government, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is announcing its decision to begin taking the next steps toward implementing V2V technology in all new cars and trucks.

Rendering of a vehicle braking abruptly and sending a signal to vehicles behind it via V-2-V technology

V2V communications can provide the vehicle and driver with 360-degree situational awareness to address additional crash situations, like when a driver needs to decide if it's safe to pass on a two-lane road (potential head-on collision) or make a left turn across the path of oncoming traffic. It can also alert a driver when a vehicle approaching at an intersection appears to be on a collision course.


The research we’ve conducted at DOT and NHTSA demonstrates V2V’s viability and value.

As one example, in 2012, the DOT launched a real-world field test based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, that included nearly 3,000 cars, trucks, and buses outfitted with V2V communications technology.

Test vehicles were able to send and receive anonymous safety data messages between one another. Many of these vehicles were also able to translate the data into a warning to the driver in case of an impending crash.

NHTSA used all of the information available to us from more than a decade of research, including the valuable data from the model deployment, when we decided that now was the time to begin to take action that will eventually make these safety technologies available to the hundreds of millions of drivers across the country.

Rendering of connected vehicles communicating with each other as they pass through a busy intersection

For almost five decades, DOT and NHTSA have worked hard to prevent deaths and injuries on America’s roads:

  • We’ve urged Americans to drive safely and partnered with state and local law enforcement to discourage dangerous behaviors, such as driving drunk, driving distracted, or driving or riding without a seat belt;
  • We’ve helped Americans make informed choices about their vehicles with our 5-Star Safety Ratings that tell consumers which cars perform best in the unfortunate event of a crash;
  • We’ve ensured that vehicles with safety defects were recalled so that consumers would be protected; and
  • We’ve helped accelerate the adoption of vehicle features, such as air bags and electronic stability control, that are proven to save lives.

All of these efforts have made a tremendous difference and will always be a part of NHTSA’s safety mission.

Since 1970, highway fatalities have declined by 36 percent and have fallen by 22 percent just in the last decade. But, with more than 30,000 fatalities on America’s roadways each year, we must continue to look to new and innovative ways to save lives.

V2V technology represents one such innovation. The opportunity to move forward with the lifesaving potential of V2V technology makes this a very special moment in automotive safety.

David Friedman is Acting Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

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First thing that comes to mind is now cars can be controlled by someone other than the drive. So if you broadcast the " emergency stop/disabled vehicle" code or wavelength on the interstate, any person wanting to cause harm damage or delay can do so at will. There is no good way to secure radio waves. If someone had a failing or slow business on busy roadway they could have an antenna to slow or even stop traffic in front of their business. Thieves could gridlock traffic they pass. For the price of safety you give up safety

What research says 70% of crashes can be mitigated?

This is a terrible idea. Name one thing that the government does well--nada! To have the government "mandate" this is ridiculous. Think of the associated cost! How are low-income, poor, and struggling families going to buy cars that are more expensive. AND, think of the invasion of privacy. Terrible idea. Once again, another example of the government overstepping its bounds.

MMhhmm I wonder what is the cost of freedom that Americans will pay for this "safety"? They are collecting all emails, phone messages, texts all in the name of safety to catch the bad guys. IT only shops people from having freedom and they get to know who we talk too, how long and what time of day/night we are talking also what we buy or sell, most leave traces that the government knows. How is this fit into that picture, How much control are we willing to give up all in the name of Safety...Will there be some secret ways of stopping cars if the government deems you as a bad guy just like the tracking of emails, .or tracking cars to get more information of where we go, when we go to places, who we have in the car? I think that anything that the government, Google and the big companies do in the name of Safety is a way to control us in a more deeper way. Look past people of the FAKE positives and look at the bigger picture of how much more control this can give the government over out lives

It is great that this technology is available, but once again, cost will protect the wealthy and leave the "less than safe" cars to the rest of us.

What can be done to mitigate the reduced attentiveness this technology could easily promote? Motorists and their passengers are protected by steel cages, but what of the 6,000+ people *not* in cars who are killed by motorists each year? The 100,000+ pedestrians and bicyclists seriously injured each year? We know that over-reliance on technology leads to atrophy of driving skills, just like the Asiana pilots last December who crashed because they weren't used to standard visual landings any more. Self-driving car technology seems to assume cars will continue to share the real world with people on foot, people on bikes, animals, etc. But V2V seems designed for a world where cars rule the streets alone.

This is interesting... I am looking for model states and best practices for "Crash Record Reporting" TRACS Program. Which states are tracking all the crash data electronically ? How are they unified with all law enforcement agencies so that they are using quality and complete data ? How do they collect and how do they store the data ? Thank you. Joseph G. Valdez, MLIS Librarian -NMDOT josephg.valdez@state.nm.us
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