Continued from Part 1. The U.S. NHTSA indicates that new V2V (vehicle to vehicle) technology could help drivers avoid or reduce the severity of 4 out of 5 crashes among unimpaired vehicles and drivers. (V2V won’t help you much if you suffer a blowout, an axle breaks, or a defect in the power train stalls the engine. Although it might sound advance warnings as your vehicle goes out of control and heads into a crash with some other vehicle, a retaining wall, or a tree. And the system’s warnings of impending collisions or looming hazards are likely to go unheeded or unnoticed by the impaired or drunken driver.)
V2V safety technology could help you avoid other crashes though by:
Hazards the V2V system could help you avoid include:
In the fall of 2012 in Ann arbor, Michigan, the U.S. DOT and the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) launched a year-long study involving 3,000 trucks, buses, and passenger cars equipped with V2V and V2I (vehicle to infrastructure) WiFi systems that could connect and communicate with other similarly equipped vehicles. The test included several competing forms of the WiFi technology, to mimic real-world, real-market conditions. The test results have only just been communicated to the NHTSA, which probably hasn’t had time to fully evaluate them yet.
The Ann Arbor trial was intended to gather in-depth information regarding the effectiveness of the V2V technologies in reducing crashes as well as regarding the systems’ operability in real-world use. The DOT’s earlier user acceptance testing for the technologies found that 90% of drivers had a very favorable opinion of its safety benefits and wanted the technology in their personal vehicles. (metro-magazine.com, 8/21/12)
Another study in Europe by BMW equipped the BMW 5 Series and the BMW R1200Gs motorcycle with V2V safety technology. The BMW trial focused specifically on the safety of left turns, where many cars become involved in crashes with motorcycles. The “Turn Left Assistant” technology used a camera and a laser scanner mounted on the front of a vehicle to detect oncoming traffic. Specifically, that safety warning system was designed to prevent cars traveling less than 6 mph from crossing in front of oncoming motorcycles and other vehicles.
If the driver continued to turn in front of the oncoming vehicle, the warning system activated automatic braking and also activated visual and audio warnings. And where the oncoming motorcycle was equipped with V2V and the two vehicles could talk to each other, the motorcycles headlights would adjust to increase the bike’s visibility. If the car continued into the intersection, the motorcycle would then sound its horn. Thereafter the car would have its brakes automatically engaged. (Andy Downes, motorcyclenews.com/mcn/, 5/17/11)
These real-world trials of V2V safety technologies have found that they can help reduce the number and severity of crashes when vehicles and their drivers are unimpaired. Similar studies by both the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and Volvo found that the owners of vehicles equipped with V2V crash avoidance technologies filed insurance claims at a significantly lower rate than the owners of unequipped vehicles.
As yet however, there is relatively little data on the true effectiveness of these V2V technologies, and other crash avoidance technologies continue to enter the marketplace. The NHTSA has yet to act on V2V to either require it in new vehicles or to make its presence or lack of same in a vehicle a marker for its five-star safety ratings. Insurance companies too have yet to take the step of reducing rates for those who possess the technology in their vehicles. And insurers, who end up paying for most crashes, will likely be the first to act if the V2V technology proves to avoid crashes and save insurance companies money.