Sending a message

Vehicle-to-vehicle communications can improve safety, but telematics may ultimately provide more impact.

Driver error is cited as the cause of most accidents, so some safety-focused researchers have decided to take them out of the loop. They are devising techniques that let vehicles talk to each other so they can avoid accidents or reduce their impact.

Vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications systems are expected to bring significant improvements in safety. Governments in the U.S., Japan, and Europe are all working on systems that will let vehicles tell each other where they are, hoping that will reduce fatalities. Communications with infrastructure stations could alert drivers about traffic at blind intersections and provide other critical input.