In an effort to combat road accidents and traffic jams, the European Unions’s Intelligent Car Initiative program has dedicated a single radio frequency to smart vehicle communication systems.
The system is based on a wireless communication technology and allows cars to “talk” to each other, to warn of slippery conditions or accidents. The decision is also to encourage public funding for roadside assistance and overall infrastructure
“Today’s Commission decision is a decisive step towards meeting the European goal of reducing road accidents. Getting critical messages through quickly and accurately is a must for road safety,” said E.U. Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding. “We should also keep in mind that with 24 percent of Europeans’ driving time spent in traffic jams the costs caused by congestion could reach €80 billion [~$119 billion] by 2010. So clearly, saving time through smart vehicles communications systems means saving money.”
The system relies on a single Europe-wide frequency band that is 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 GHz band. It will be rolled out within the next six months and will not hinder existing roadside services.
