U.S. DOT to launch nationwide wireless ‘Vehicle-to-Everything’ communication network to try to curb crashes

The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) announced a plan to deploy new technology to “enable vehicles to communicate with each other” in hopes of reducing motor vehicle crashes.

On August 16, 2024, U.S. DOT unveiled a plan to speed the deployment of “Vehicle-to-Everything” (V2X) technology nationwide in an attempt to cut down on injury and fatality crashes.

According to U.S. DOT, the V2X deployment plan “is focused on road safety, mobility, and efficiency through technology that enables vehicles and wireless devices to communicate with each other and with roadside infrastructure. “

The V2X technology “enables vehicles to communicate with each other, with other road users such as pedestrians, cyclists, individuals with disabilities, and other vulnerable road users, and with roadside infrastructure, through wirelessly exchanged messages … When equipped, the messages may contain key information about the location and actions of vehicles and other road users, traffic conditions – including the state of equipped traffic signals and prevailing roadway conditions – such as weather, pavement conditions, work zones, and other disruptions,” officials say.

U.S. DOT plans to use the dedicated 5.895-5.925 GHz spectrum to ensure “secure, interoperable V2X connectivity.”

Officials seek to have V2X “deployed and operational” by 2036.

“The Department has reached a key milestone today in laying out a national plan for the transportation industry that has the power to save lives and transform the way we travel,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg. “The Department recognizes the potential safety benefits of V2X, and this plan will move us closer to nationwide adoption of this technology.”

“The Plan was drafted and advanced with collaboration across public and private partnerships. It provides stakeholders with vital information to enable a safe, efficient, and sustainable transportation system through the national, widespread deployment of interoperable V2X technologies. The Plan will accelerate investment, research, and deployment in V2X “market certainty,” said Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology and Chief Scientist Dr. Robert C. Hampshire.

You can learn more about the accelerated V2X deployment plan here, or watch the U.S. DOT press conference below.