U.S. Wants Cars to Talk to Each Other

This May 22, 2012 file photo shows a demonstration of a side mirror warning signal in a Ford Taurus at an automobile testing area in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Image: AP Photo, Susan Walsh, FileThe Obama administration has said it is taking a first step toward requiring that future cars and light trucks be equipped with technology that enables them to warn each other of potential danger in time to avoid collisions.

A research report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that the technology could eventually prevent 592,000 left-turn and intersection crashes a year, saving 1,083 lives. The agency said it will begin drafting rules to require the technology in new vehicles.

The technology uses a radio signal to continually transmit a vehicle’s position, heading, speed and other information. Similarly equipped cars and trucks would receive the same information, and their computers would alert drivers to an impending collision.

Fonte: Laboratory Equipment