The Joplin Globe reports that federal transportation officials are pushing
automakers to incorporate new communications technology in vehicles. The
tech won’t allow drivers to talk to friends or get directions or
receive texts, however.
Instead, it will enable new passenger vehicles to talk to each other. Officials
say if the technology were to be employed in all vehicles, we would see
a significant drop in
car accidents, injuries and fatalities.
Autos would continually transmit radio signals telling nearby vehicles
of their position, direction, speed and so on. With the constant exchange
of information, the vehicles would then be able to inform their drivers
of impending crashes; collisions that could then be avoided.
The Globe reports that some vehicles might have options enabling the car
or light truck to brake automatically in order to avoid hitting other vehicles.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that four
out of five crashes could be avoided with the technology (the NHTSA does
not count drunken drivers and mechanical failures in its estimate).
Proponents of the technology say it’s a game-changer that can prevent
crashes rather than minimizing injuries or vehicle damage, as so many
technological advances of the past have tried to do.
Although federal officials say they will mandate inclusion of the technology
at some point, there is no clear indication of when that point might arrive.
It seems certain to take years, but no one knows yet how many years.
For those who have been injured in car accidents caused by someone else’s
negligence or wrongdoing, a conversation with a personal injury attorney
can clarify legal options available for compensation for medical bills,
lost income and other damages.
Source: Joplin Globe, “Feds want cars to be able to talk to each other,”
Feb. 3, 2014
