US will use a special spectrum to prevent vehicle accidents
The United States plans to use advanced technology to prevent vehicle accidents. On Monday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) gave a green light to a special 5.9 GHz spectrum block. This technology isn’t new. It was mostly ready for use in 1999. Despite that, thus far, the spectrum has remained mostly on the shelf, but that will change now that FCC has given its approval.
Several US state agencies, universities, automakers, and others united in petitioning for the 5.9 GHz spectrum block’s use. This technology will help people to avoid crashes. It works especially well at intersections. The spectrum enables vehicles to exchange information with each other. As a result, they will be able to prevent accidents. Considering how many people get killed or seriously injured in car crashes, the spectrum might prove useful if it works well.
Major automakers seem very eager to incorporate the program into their vehicles. In fact, Jaguar Land Rover, Volkswagen AG’s Audi, and Ford Motor Co requested to use it in 2021. They called the technology Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything or C-V2X, though. Panasonic Corp, Harman International, and Virginia and Utah’s transportation departments also added their votes, along with others.
What do the studies show?
According to the US government’s research, this spectrum can potentially prevent more than 600,000 vehicle crashes annually. But only if the automakers widely incorporate it in US vehicles.
Several US officials reviewed the technology, discussing how it can be successful. But as often is the case, there are many hoops to jump through before it becomes available for average users. Safety is one of the most important reasons.
The government wants to ensure that technology will bring no harm. While various major automakers are working on auto-driving cars and trying to incorporate AI to avoid crashes, these technologies are not foolproof. Tesla already suffered several scandals on that account. But now that the C-V2X project has the approval to move forward, we might see real results soon.
Hilary Cain, an official with the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, stated that project initiators were waiting to settle things with the regulators to deploy V2X. According to her, this wireless safety technology is game-changing. It will enable vehicles to communicate with each other and see around corners. They will exchange information about pedestrians, traffic lights, bicyclists, and street infrastructure in real time.
Statistics show that the number of people killed in traffic crashes is very high in the United States. In 2022, 42,795 people died in such accidents. In February, US Senators Cynthia Lummis and Gary Peters urged the FCC to approve this project. They stated that it could save lives, adding that the spectrum would pave the way for the future of transportation and automobile infrastructure.
