Govt to roll out vehicle-to-vehicle communication to reduce crashes

Standards to come out this year

In a bid to reduce road crashes especially in low-visibility situations like dense fog, the government will soon roll out vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication technology which will allow cars to “talk” to each other and alert drivers during contingencies, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday.

 

“The technology features an On Board Unit (OBU) installed in cars for wireless data exchange between vehicles -- this will enable sharing of real-time information like speed, location, acceleration, braking etc.,” Gadkari said in a press briefing after the 43rd meeting of the transport development council comprising transport ministers and secretaries of states. 

 

The system will prevent crashes by warning drivers early. 

For example, if a car brakes, nearby vehicles get alerts to slow down before seeing it. According to the ministry, there is potential to reduce crashes by 80 per cent by spotting vehicles in blind spots.

 

“This (the unit) will cost around ₹5000-7000. We are currently preparing standards in consultation with original equipment manufacturers and we will issue a notification once the process is completed. This will enable the installation of these OBUs in new cars and eventually, retrofitting in existing vehicles,” said V Umashankar, union road transport and highways secretary.

 

He added that the technology is currently available in very few countries and the government hopes to come out with standards this year.

 

The telecommunications department, under its national frequency allocation plan, will provide free spectrum -- every manufacturer can use this spectrum to install the units in the vehicle.

 

“We hope that we will be able to at least end crashes that involve collisions with stationary vehicles as there will be an automatic warning,” he added.

 

A joint task force has been constituted with the department of telecommunications and it has agreed in-principle for the use of 30 MHz (5.875-5.905 GHz) for V2V purposes.

 

Moreover, the ministry will also formally launch the full programme for cashless treatment for victims of road accidents.

 

“The prime minister will formally launch the cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims soon,” Gadkari said.

 

The government had earlier launched the scheme as a pilot programme covering six states.

 

Under the scheme, treatment cover up to ₹1.5 lakh per victim will be provided, subject to a maximum cap of 7 days from date of accident. The treatment cover will be available to those victims who are involved in road accidents caused by use of motor vehicles.

 

The expenses will either be covered by the insurance company providing the third-party cover for the vehicle involved, or through a motor vehicle safety fund.

 

“Since pilot implementation, 6,833 treatment requests have been raised under the scheme, of which 5,480 victims have been found eligible and have received cashless treatment as per the scheme provisions. The total fund disbursed under the Motor Vehicle Accident Fund is ₹73,88,848,” Gadkari told Parliament in December.

 

Gadkari said that there is an ongoing assessment involving insurance companies to see if premiums can be lowered or raised based on history of traffic violations.

 

“Repeated traffic violations may even lead to the cancelling of a driver’s license,” the minister said.

 

The minister also said the government will undertake reforms in the bus body code and only bus manufacturers who make the chassis will be allowed to design bus bodies for sleeper buses.

 

The council also deliberated on proposed amendments in the Motor Vehicles Act.

 

Some of the takeaways included proposed amendments to improve ease of living and doing business, strengthen regulatory certainty, and enhance road safety, introduction of a points-based system for tracking traffic violations, and enabling digital and automated issuance of permits for all goods vehicles up to a certain gross vehicle weight.