India has the most road accident deaths in the world. Can ‘talking cars’ curb these?

The system is similar to the aviation sector technology, where aircraft broadcast their position, speed, altitude, and the nearby aircraft and ground stations receive it. While this system is fortified in the aviation sector across the world, the road sector is still evolving, and V2V is working in a few countries, mostly developed nations.

How will it work? 

According to the MoRTH officials, for the V2V system, an On Board Unit (OBU) will be installed in cars so that the nearby vehicles can exchange information among vehicles wirelessly. It will alert the driver about the black spots, obstacles, parked vehicles on roadsides, fog or any potential threats.

Usually, V2V systems have a range of 300 metres and can detect vehicles in this range. For instance, if a car applies brakes suddenly, the nearby vehicles will get an alert to slow down before seeing it. This will help in reducing crashes.

India ranks first in the world in total road accident fatalities, far ahead of second- and third-ranked countries: China accounts for just 36%, and the United States for 25%, of India’s road deaths.

MoRTH Secretary V Umashankar said that the OBUs will cost Rs 5,000 to Rs 7,000, and this will be first installed in the new vehicles.

“Vehicle-to-Vehicle communication systems are working in a few countries. This will have a significant impact on road safety. Many times, trucks and cars are parked on the roadside, and the speeding vehicles collide with them, which leads to casualties. We will be able to reduce such accidents, since OBU will automatically issue the warning,” said Umashankar in a press conference on January 8 after the annual meeting of transport ministers from all states and union territories.

When will it be rolled out?

The government has not yet announced any specific date for rolling out this system. However, it is MoRTH’s key initiative as part of its road safety program for the year. The secretary said that the Ministry is preparing a standard for it in collaboration with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), and a joint task force has been constituted with the telecom department.

“After the decision on the standards, we will issue a notification. Initially, the new vehicles will be required to install these on-board units. After that, the old vehicles will be fitted with this. Under the National Frequency Allocation Plan, the Department of Telecommunications will provide free spectrum. So the OEMs would be able to use this spectrum and get it installed in the vehicle. Our aim is to get it implemented this year,” said the MoRTH secretary.

What are the challenges?

The V2V system offers a solution for road accidents and managing traffic better. However, there are some limitations and privacy concerns as well. The frequency band allocated for the system might not support all the vehicles. It means that if information is miscommunicated, it can lead to accidents and fatalities.

The other issue is that it will store a large amount of data about the vehicles, their location, details about the driver, etc., which puts the whole intelligent transport infrastructure at the potential risk of being misused. It would certainly require government regulations and rules to implement it.

The cyber attack is another concern for this system. If an attacker gains complete control of the system, it can be misused to create a major security threat for the region.

Which are the countries use V2V?

The US is the leader in V2V communication system research and its implementation with strong regulation. Apart from this, some of the European countries like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, etc., are incorporating V2V into new vehicles and smart city projects.

Car models like the Volkswagen Golf 8 and the Cadillac models in the US come with the V2V tech safety system.

China is another major adopter of V2V, and Japan has launched ITS connect programs, part of its smart vehicle initiatives, which provide real-time traffic signal data, blind spot warnings, and emergency vehicle alerts to drivers under the V2V system.

Like India, countries like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Mexico, etc., are in early pilot stages to roll out V2V communication systems.