What role is your government playing? The U.S. federal government is supporting connected vehicle research, development, testing, and deployment. The USDOT is collaborating with public and private partners, including state and local governments, vehicle and device manufacturers, and academia, to advance connected vehicle development and implementation. Within the USDOT, the ITS JPO is working with other DOT federal agencies to coordinate and foster the advancement of connected vehicle technologies. These include the:

• Federal Highway Administration (FHWA)
• Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
• Federal Railroad Administration (FRA)
• Federal Transit Administration (FTA)
• National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
• Office of the Assistant Secretary for Research and Technology

A nationwide network of connected vehicles and infrastructure might be closer to becoming a reality than you might think. Significant progress has already been made in testing connected vehicle technologies and applications in real-world situations. The recently concluded USDOT Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot Program provided large amounts of valuable data on how these technologies, applications, and systems perform in the hands of everyday drivers.

Based on the results of these test programs and other research, NHTSA made a decision early in 2014 that it would move ahead with working on a regulatory proposal to require vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications in new cars and light trucks in the near future. In August 2014, NHTSA issued an advance notice of proposed rulemaking to begin implementation of V2V communications technology, as well as a comprehensive research report in support of its proposal. It has solicited public comment on its decision and is evaluating it before proceeding. The main focus of this initial decision is to enable collision warnings to drivers prior to a crash.

In February 2014, NHTSA announced its decision to take steps to enable V2V communications technology for light vehicles (and is considering a similar rule for heavy trucks).  More recently, in May 2015, NHTSA announced that it will move ahead of its public time table for its proposal to require vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication devices in new vehicles and work to accelerate testing necessary to ensure that V2V and vehicle-to-infrastructure transmissions are free from radio interference.  NTHSA’s connected vehicle activities can be tracked on SaferCar.gov.

Looking further into the future beyond connected vehicle and infrastructure technology, the federal government, in partnership with state and local agencies, industry, and the public, is exploring the feasibility of partially or fully automated vehicles, possibly combined with connected vehicle technology. The combination of these two technologies could fulfill their full potential to provide unprecedented levels of safety, mobility, and environmental sustainability.