From crumple zones to side-impact protection beams and from seat belts to airbags, the first century of automobile safety focused on passive safety, protecting occupants in case of a crash. Later, automotive engineers turned their attention to active safety, crash-prevention applications like anti-lock braking systems and electronic stability control. But a common characteristic of all successful safety technologies is that they have taken decades to develop.
Now, connected-vehicle technology, the next generation of automotive safety, is here, and the U.S. Department of Transportation is working hard to make sure this technology can begin delivering its safety benefits soon.
Over the past 10 years, we have pursued research into technology that allows vehicles to communicate with each other, with roadway infrastructure and with traffic managers. Using advanced wireless communications, cars, trucks, buses and even motorcycles soon will be able to transmit data, sharing real-time information about their speed, position, brake status, road conditions and more. This data can help drivers operate their vehicles more safely and navigate our roads more efficiently.
Vehicle-to-vehicle communication technology will transform driving as we know it. Imagine your car warning you against entering an intersection because another car is about to run a red light. Imagine that a vehicle several cars in front of you slams on its brakes and your vehicle immediately alerts you — well before you see brake lights ahead. Imagine a car far ahead of yours providing information about icy road conditions, giving you time to adjust your speed safely or take a different route altogether. That is what improved safety looks like in the not-too-distant future.
Then imagine your car offering recommended speeds and alternative routes to reduce congestion and save gas, identifying nearby travelers participating in ridesharing or even locating available parking nearby. That’s what improved mobility will look like.
Even better, this technology is coming faster than you might expect.
In 2013, more than 32,700 people were killed in the United States in car crashes, some 1,200 of them in Pennsylvania. Data from the National Highway Safety Administration indicates that 94 percent of those crashes were driver-related. For example, in 41 percent of crashes, drivers failed to recognize pre-crash conditions, like sudden braking ahead. In 33 percent of crashes, drivers reacted inappropriately. Imagine the lives we could save with technology that helps drivers recognize pre-crash events more quickly and respond to them more effectively.
This is why, earlier this month, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx directed NHTSA to accelerate the timetable for its proposal to require V2V technology in new vehicles. He also committed the Department of Transportation to rapid testing to ensure that the wireless spectrum used by V2V is not obstructed by radio interference. And he has asked NHTSA to make sure our regulatory framework encourages the deployment of demonstrated traffic-safety innovations. These steps will support today’s safety revolution while making sure new technologies themselves are safe.
Today, more than 2,000 industry leaders, manufacturers, investors, researchers, elected officials and policy makers, engineers and public-sector participants will convene in the Pittsburgh area for the Intelligent Transportation Society of America 25th Annual Meeting and Expo (itsannualmeeting.org). Senior leaders from the Department of Transportation will participate over the next few days, sharing their research on connected vehicles.
The location is particularly appropriate because Pittsburgh is the home of one of the world’s epicenters of cutting-edge transportation technology — Carnegie Mellon University’s National Robotics Engineering Center. CMU is a pioneer in the technology of driverless vehicles.
Many view connected vehicles as the precursor to automated, driverless vehicles. The communications technology from connected vehicles would provide self-driving cars with full awareness of their surroundings so they can make judgments regarding safety-critical situations and act appropriately.
Just last month, Secretary Foxx visited Pittsburgh to view demonstrations of CMU achievements, such as a driverless vehicle, smart headlights that reduce glare and adjust to weather conditions, and traffic signals that adapt to traffic flow. The secretary commended the amazing technology being developed in the region, calling this “a watershed moment in transportation.”
Pittsburgh residents should be proud of the region’s role in making America’s roadways safer.
Greg Winfree is assistant secretary of transportation for research and technology.
First Published: May 31, 2015, 4:00 a.m.
