Working together for more safety in road traffic: In cooperation with HERE Technologies, Tom Tom and the transport authorities in six European countries, Daimler, BMW, Ford and Volvo are testing how information about acutely hazardous situations can be passed on using Car-to-X technology. Today the project partners signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The test phase is scheduled to last twelve months, starting in the Netherlands.
How can information about a sudden hazard – e.g. slippery conditions or an accident – be passed on to following or approaching traffic as quickly as possible? Daimler has already used mobile networking technologies as standard to send hazard warnings from vehicle to vehicle (Car-to-Car) since 2013. For the first time, leading OEMs and navigation services are now working on a joint, non manufacturer specific and EU-wide solution. The transport ministries in Germany, Spain, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Sweden are supporting the project. The aim of the pilot project started today is to conduct research into the technical, economic and legal aspects of Car-to-X. Car-to-X is the term used to describe communication between vehicles and with the transport infrastructure.
Sajjad Khan, Executive Vice President, Member of Divisional Board, Mercedes-Benz, CASE: “Car-to-X communication has the potential to significantly improve safety on the roads. With this project we are raising previous approaches to a new level: For the first time we have numerous highly capable and effective partners on board, so that warning messages can reach a large number of road users practically in real time. This can save lives. Daimler already laid the foundations for this development years ago: Already today, Mercedes-Benz vehicles are equipped with the technology needed for the wide-based and secure exchange of safety-related traffic information.”
In line with EU goals
The focus of the project is on the “Safety Related Traffic Information” (SRTI) discussion at EU level. With this initiative, the project partners are supporting the EU Commission in its efforts to promote the development of networked and intelligent transport systems. The long-term objective of the EU is to substantially reduce the number of fatalities and severe injuries in road traffic by 2050. An improved flow of information could make a decisive contribution to this.
EU Directive 866/2013 stipulates that a minimum level of general, road safety related traffic information is to be made available to all users free of charge wherever possible. The memorandum signed today is based on this political initiative.
The project partners are working on the principle of non technology-specific testing and further development of information flows using Car-to-X technology. Already installed, mobile radio based communication systems will be used for the pilot project. These are tried and tested, and immediately available.
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SOURCE: Daimler
