USDOT Announces Proposed Rulemaking for Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications

In early 2014, NHTSA decided to move forward with its regulatory process for light duty (automobiles and light trucks) vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications systems. According to U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, "safety is our top priority, and V2V technology represents the next great advance in saving lives... This technology could move us from helping people survive crashes to helping them avoid crashes altogether – saving lives, saving money and even saving fuel thanks to the widespread benefits it offers."

On Monday, the NHSTA announced its research report, "Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications: Readiness of V2V Technology for Application," including technical feasibility, security/ privacy concerns and mitigation, preliminary estimates for cost, and safety benefits. 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. LTA warns drivers not to turn left in front of another vehicle traveling in the opposite direction and IMA warns them if it is not safe to enter an intersection due to a high probability of colliding with one or more vehicles."

The accompanying ANPRM will help DOT and NHTSA gather significant input from the public and stakeholders as NHTSA works to deliver a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by 2016. The NHTSA seeks additional information, data, and analysis on the research report to aid the agency in developing an effective proposal.

Hat tip to Metro Library for this article.