What if your car could “talk” to all of the other cars out on the road and transmit information to them in order to prevent collisions from happening and cut down on traffic bottlenecks?
As recently as just two decades ago, the idea of cars communicating with one another would have sounded crazy. But these days, there are many auto manufacturers that are designing cars capable of staying in touch on the road. Toyota just announced that all of their cars will be able to talk back and forth by the time 2025 rolls around, and other companies like Volkswagen and Ford have made similar announcements in the past.
The idea of cars talking to one another is something that’s been speculated about for quite some time now.
Way back in 1999, the U.S. government gave the automobile industry the ability to set up vehicle-to-vehicle communication systems by giving them a block of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band. But most car companies are just getting around to equipping their cars with V2V technology as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure technology that will make it possible for cars to communicate with traffic lights and other things on the road.
The hope is that it’ll become a lot safer to drive once more cars can communicate with each other. You’ll be able to get warnings about everything from traffic to a car that’s coming into your blind spot at an intersection and act accordingly. Your car will also be able to brake for you and do other things to take you out of harm’s way. V2V and V2I technology could potentially save thousands of lives every year and make life significantly easier for drivers across the world.
Although there are many benefits to this new technology, there are also some weak points to highlight. A major weak point is that every vehicle won’t be equipped with this technology at once. Cars are often on the road for 10 years or longer, so some will have the technology while others won’t.
Another con to the V2V and V2I technology, is that drivers will be more and more distracted and less aware of their surroundings as the technology becomes more prevalent. The process of vehicles communicating to one another involves constant updates and warnings, similar to texting while driving, which is one of the most distracting things a driver can do.
For now, cars chattering with one another is still just in the concept phase. But it probably won’t be long before you’ll get to experience it for yourself.
At 4N6XPRT Systems, we’ve spent more than two decades developing powerful accident reconstruction software tools like 4N6XPRT BioMeknx to help insurance companies, law enforcement agencies and attorneys establish fault in car accidents.