WASHINGTON—The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced plans to develop a regulation mandating vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology for light vehicles.
V2V technology will improve highway safety by allowing vehicles to "talk" to each other and exchange basic safety data, such as speed and position, up to 10 times a second, according to NHTSA.
The technology has the potential to prevent many vehicle crashes, the agency said. Research from the Department of Transportation, NHTSA's parent agency, shows that V2V will benefit drivers in a large majority of crashes involving two or more vehicles by giving drivers the information they need to avoid collisions.
V2V represents the next generation of auto safety improvements, DOT Secretary Anthony Foxx said at a Feb. 3 press conference.
"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 U.S. remains the leader in the global automotive industry."
Within the next few weeks, NHTSA will release a study on V2V based on a pilot program conducted in Ann Arbor, Mich., involving 3,000 vehicles. The Automotive Service Association said it will post the study on its website, www.TakingTheHill.com.