WASHINGTON -- After years of research into vehicle-to-vehicle communications technology, federal regulators declared that the time has come for cars to talk to each other to improve safety.
U.S. regulators will soon begin working on regulations requiring new light-duty vehicles sold in the United States to be equipped with wireless chips so they can communicate over the airwaves, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said today during a press conference at Department of Transportation headquarters.
Foxx stopped short of setting a target date for the mandate, but he made clear that he is committed to the technology, calling it a "moon shot" that could prevent 70 to 80 percent of crashes involving unimpaired drivers.
"Keeping drivers safe is the most important advantage of V2V, but it's just one of many," Foxx said. "V2V can also help reduce congestion and save fuel. The potential of this technology is absolutely enormous."