The U.S. Department of Transportation wants light-duty vehicles to communicate with each other via advanced technology, known as connected vehicle technology, to prevent crashes. The vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) rule would be phased in over five years.
"The Transportation Department proposed rules on [Dec. 13] that all new cars and small trucks contain communications technology to broadcast data to one another about their speed, location and direction they are traveling," writes Cecilia Kang, technology regulation reporter for The New York Times. The purpose of the rules are to incorporate advanced technology, known as vehicle-to-vehicle, or V2V, in light vehicles to prevent crashes.
Under the new rules, cars would be able to use wireless technology involving chips and a dedicated band of radio airwaves to detect if another vehicle around the corner and hundreds of yards away was moving too fast in its direction and headed for a collision.
The vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology, which is separate from driverless car tech, is viewed by regulators as the most effective fix for vehicle deaths.
"The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking [link will download a pdf] would enable vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology on all new light-duty vehicles, enabling a multitude of new crash-avoidance applications that, once fully deployed, could prevent hundreds of thousands of crashes every year by helping vehicles 'talk' to each other," according to the press release from the National Highway Traffic Safety Association (NHTSA).
According to the executive summary of the notice:
The agency believes that V2V has the potential to revolutionize motor vehicle safety. By providing drivers with timely warnings of impending crash situations, V2V-based safety applications could potentially reduce the number and severity of motor vehicle crashes, thereby reducing the losses and costs to society that would have resulted from these crashes.
NHTSA publicized the release of the notice two years in advance. Former Planetizen editorial intern, Maayan Dembo, cited how specific applications of the technology would save lives:
Two specific applications, Left Turn Assist (LTA) and Intersection Movement Assist (IMA) "could prevent up to 592,000 crashes and save 1,083 lives saved per year. Put another way, V2V technology could help drivers avoid more than half of these types of crashes that would otherwise occur by providing advance warning.
In January 2014, NHTSA indicated it would allow vehicles to use V2V technology. Soon it will be a requirement.
"[NHTSA] proposes phasing in the requirement over five years after issuance of a final regulation," according to AASHTO Journal.
Controversial?
Technology that saves lives, literally, would be expected to be embraced regardless of one's political leanings. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx stated, "...from a safety perspective, this is a no-brainer.”
But these are regulations, which by definition are political.
"The conservative Competitive Enterprise Institute immediately called the new mandate a 'midnight' political ploy by the Obama administration and said the incoming administration should abandon the plan," reports Kang. The AAA, on the other hand, was supportive.
AAA, which has supported Foxx’s agenda on car technology and driverless vehicles, said even if new technologies eventually replaced radio communication among cars, the current proposal is a strong solution for safer roads.
"It is unclear how the Trump administration and the incoming transportation secretary, Elaine Chao, will view the technology mandates and guidelines for autonomous vehicles or vehicle-to-vehicle communications," adds Chang.
Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I)
"Separately, the Department’s Federal Highway Administration plans to soon issue guidance for Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) communications, which will help transportation planners integrate the technologies to allow vehicles to 'talk' to roadway infrastructure such as traffic lights, stop signs and work zones to improve mobility, reduce congestion and improve safety," according to the NHTSA press release.
"Vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) technology will take advantage of and build upon emerging vehicle-based technologies being deployed to support vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technology," writes Jonathan B. Walker, P.E., Connected Vehicle Program Manger for FHWA in an Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) presentation [PDF] on the technology.
Pilot programs
- Colorado has a head-start on both V2V and V2I applications with a pilot program run by the Colorado Department of Transportation on I-70 based on smart phone application, notes a post in January.
- In September 2015, Secretary Foxx announced that the USDOT Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Joint Program Office would sponsor its first wave of Connected Vehicle Pilots in Midtown Manhattan, Tampa, Fla., and I-80 in southern Wyoming.
Additional NHTSA resources on connected vehicle technology, including fact sheets and videos, are listed at the base of the press release.
Hat tip to Eric Gilbertson.
FULL STORY: Cars Talking to One Another? They Could Under Proposed Safety Rules
Battle of Technologies Shaping-Up for Connected Vehicles
The U.S. Department of Transportation proposed a new rule on Dec. 13 for automakers to require vehicle-to-vehicle technology to save lives, but critics charge the radio-based technology will be obsolete when the rule takes effect in about seven years
Nation's Top Safety Board Recommends Protected Bike Lanes
The NTSB chair issued a stark warning on Nov. 5: "If we do not improve roadway infrastructure for bicyclists, bicyclists will die who otherwise would not," stated Robert Sumwalt in introducing their first report in 47 years devoted to bike safety.
Traffic Fatalities Declining, But Not for Pedestrians and People on Bikes
After several years of increasing traffic fatalities, the total numbers of people killed by cars every year in the United States is finally declining. The same can't be said for pedestrians and people on bikes.
Alabama: Trump Terminates Settlements for Black Communities Harmed By Raw Sewage
Trump deemed the landmark civil rights agreement “illegal DEI and environmental justice policy.”
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
The 120 Year Old Tiny Home Villages That Sheltered San Francisco’s Earthquake Refugees
More than a century ago, San Francisco mobilized to house thousands of residents displaced by the 1906 earthquake. Could their strategy offer a model for the present?
In Both Crashes and Crime, Public Transportation is Far Safer than Driving
Contrary to popular assumptions, public transportation has far lower crash and crime rates than automobile travel. For safer communities, improve and encourage transit travel.
Report: Zoning Reforms Should Complement Nashville’s Ambitious Transit Plan
Without reform, restrictive zoning codes will limit the impact of the city’s planned transit expansion and could exclude some of the residents who depend on transit the most.
Judge Orders Release of Frozen IRA, IIJA Funding
The decision is a victory for environmental groups who charged that freezing funds for critical infrastructure and disaster response programs caused “real and irreparable harm” to communities.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Clanton & Associates, Inc.
Jessamine County Fiscal Court
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions
Salt Lake City
NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service