Today, as part of its commitment to reducing deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways, the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced the Saving Lives with Connectivity: A Plan to Accelerate V2X Deployment. This plan will guide the implementation of vehicle-to-everything technologies across the nation and support USDOT’s commitment to pursue a comprehensive approach to reduce the number of roadway fatalities to zero.
The Plan, initially released in draft form for public comment in October of last year, 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. These technologies can enable a more safe, secure, and efficient transportation system while maintaining privacy and consumer protection and will contribute to the Safe System Approach adopted by the USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, a comprehensive approach launched in January 2022 to address the crisis of roadway deaths.
“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.
“The V2X national plan was made possible through collaborative effort between government, industry and stakeholders,” said Federal Highway Administrator Shailen Bhatt. “The plan represents a call to action in providing a framework for all of us to continue to work together toward the same goal of accelerating V2X deployment to save lives on our nation’s roadways.”
Along with the National Plan, the Federal Highway Administration recently announced nearly $60 million in grants to three entities to promote the deployment of V2X technologies with the goal of advancing the full lifesaving potential of V2X communication, while ensuring that connected technologies communicate securely and without harmful interference across a variety of devices and platforms.