Front-seat driver

A technology that allows vehicles to communicate with each other and warn drivers about potential collisions could be installed in all cars within the next 10 years, its developers hope.

The system uses a microprocessor, a GPS receiver and a wireless LAN module to exchange data such as location, speed, acceleration and road conditions with cars within a 500m range outside the city and 100m inside. Drivers receive warnings and information through images on an in-car display, alerting beeps, flashing lights or seat vibrations.

The technology comes from the German Car-2-Car consortium, which includes GM's Vehicle-to-Vehicle (V2V) project. A prototype of the technology is now being demonstrated in GM vehicles.

A member of the consortium, Horst Wieker, from the telecommunications department at the University of Applied Sciences in Saarbruck, Germany, said his group decided to use a wireless rather than mobile network for the system because it was faster. 'The data moves among vehicles in milliseconds,' he said.

On a test day for the technology on the track at GM's facilities in Bedfordshire, the system proved it can exchange data quickly, but developers need to work out several software kinks before it can be considered for commercial use.

Apart from the technical challenges, the team must also persuade governments to agree on a common, free wireless network on which the system can run. 'The only way this will work is if there are no operating costs for the driver,' said Wieker.

V2V uses established technology that is relatively inexpensive. Andrew Marshall, director of technology communications for GM Europe said while some cars are equipped with complex, expensive systems such as radar-based sensors connected with speed control devices or sensors to detect objects in a car's blind spot, V2V will be cheap and easy enough to install in every car.