Last week, the United States Transportation Department made waves with the announcement that Vehicle to Vehicle Communication could be mandated in vehicles as soon as 2017. This was a big step for auto safety because it signaled a willingness to embrace preventative safety mechanisms, a means to keep accidents from happening in the first place rather than protecting occupants only once a crash already occurs.
A recent article in the Los Angeles Times highlights the many benefits this could have for the country. The analysis comes from representatives of Morgan Stanley, who believe that the proliferation of V2V-equipped automobiles could do wonders for both safety and the economy.
Those analysts pointed out the potential of the system. At first, V2V may only serve to warn drivers when they need to slow down or take some action in order to avert a crash. But over time, they picture a world where the system can actually step in on the driver’s behalf. They believe that people will grow accustomed to V2V and the cars will quickly be able to tap into a range of details about the nearby environment to boost safety.
Plus, when you reduce accidents, you also reduce the toll that such crashes can take on the economy. The hope is that the availability of this technology can add up to hundreds of billions of dollars being saved.