With the push of governmental forces, vehicle to vehicle (V2V) technology is moving closer to reality. In 2016, the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on mandating V2V technology application in newly manufactured cars. The hope is that by 2020 cars will be able to communicate with one another and warn drivers about the roadside hazards ahead.
V2V technology is expected to be more powerful than current vehicle safety programs such as embedded systems that facilitate adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, rear parking sonar, and backup cameras. In enhancing performance safety, V2V technology allows a ubiquitous 360 degree cognizance of surrounding hazards. The first generation of this technology would essentially alert the driver but not manipulate the cars motion to avoid impact. The proceeding implementations would possibly improve the steering system and the braking system to entirely control the vehicle’s behavior.
What is Vehicle to Vehicle (V2V)?
V2V is a communication technology that facilitates crash avoidance. It uses VANETs (vehicular ad hoc networks), which consists of a wireless network whereby vehicles can communicate with one another and share information about their driving behaviors. The information includes speed, position, braking, stability, the direction of travel, among others. The importance of this technology is to improve the safety of the roads by providing incident alerts before a driver sees or detects them.
V2V communication enables vehicles to transmit data over a wireless mesh network to send, receive, and retransmit signals. These nodes can collect traffic conditions several miles ahead of a driver which is sufficient time for even the unhinged drivers to manage their drives. This technology employs dedicated short-range communications (DSRC) which is a standard approved by authorities like Federal Communication Commission (FCC) and International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Under the V2V umbrella, there is the vehicle to infrastructure (V2I) systems that comprise of traffic signals and various stationary devices.
The role of V2V in Transportation Authorities
V2V communication is a central part of intelligent transport systems (ITS). In recent years, the ITS concept has gained substantial sponsorship from the US Department of Transportation (DOT) as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). ITS uses V2V communication to improve the management of traffic by allowing vehicles to communicate with roadside facilities such as road signs and traffic lights. Several automakers have endeavored in the business of ITS and V2V technologies, such as GM’s application of V2V technology in the Cadillac.
Implementation of V2V and ITS technologies come with their challenges with regards to automakers agreeing upon a set of standards. Also, there are issues of data privacy and funding. It is not yet clear whether the maintenance of the supporting the wireless mesh network would be funded by the public or by private companies.
Transportation authorities’ are in full support of V2V technology as a tool to prevent crashes before occurring. Instead of vehicles working independently, V2V communication systems can make it possible to share critical information across vehicle surroundings. Incorporating crash prevention systems in vehicles implies that every vehicle on the road is safe from colliding one another. If V2V systems were fully implemented across the country, it would increase probability for the US DOT to achieve its objective of zero deaths caused by automobile accidents.
(Image credit:Intelligent Transportation Systems US Department of Transportation)
V2V Data Processing
In order to enable the simplest collision prevention functionality, V2V technology requires a computer to process the data and generate driver alerts. For every additional application implemented, a more powerful computer is required. Computer devices that support V2V communication are rugged and capable of tolerating a broad range of operating temperatures. For example, an Axiomtek PICO880 can function well in this environment as a V2V computer.
Similar to how a LiDAR computer system calculates the distance to detected objects for autonomous vehicles, a V2V computer system works to calculate the probability of impediments to alert drivers. In addition to driver safety, using the data collected would make it easier to manage construction traffic and detours by guiding drivers to avoid obstacles. The computer is also used to facilitate passenger communication.
What exactly will V2V look like for drivers?
In initial vehicles, the warnings derived from V2V technology may perhaps convey alerts to drivers with a red flashing light on the dashboard as indication of a hazardous condition. It may additionally detail the direction of the hazard occurrence. Today, all of this remains abstract because V2V technology is still conceptual with numerous functioning prototypes in test vehicles. Some of these V2V prototypes have shown promise with timely alerts in allotting test cars enough time to maneuver around hazards.
In addition to enabling preemptive driving decisions, using V2V technology to detect inattentive drivers and bypass a collision can further promote safety. For example, what if your car could tell you someone was about to run a red light and you could avoid major impact? This would be lifesaving and eliminate insurance nightmares from impact. V2V has the potential to expand alertness across physical drivers and autonomous vehicles.
Conclusion
The main objective of vehicle to vehicle communication technology is to eliminate costly and life threatening traffic collisions. According to WHO, approximately 1.2 million people die and 50 million are injured annually due to road accidents. If proper preventive measures are not put in place, the prospects show that road accidents will be ranked as the third-leading cause of deaths by 2020. A research conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA) has revealed that vehicle accidents cost the US government more than $300 billion annually.
Fortunately, V2V is designed to lower significantly the number of these disasters and alleviate transportation authorities of related expenditures. With these warning systems, departing vehicles can alert other vehicles on the highway. Likewise, traversing vehicles can alert other cars as paths cross.
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