As the holiday season approaches, many drivers hit the road with an ever-present concern: the risk of accidents and unsafe drivers. With the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reporting approximately 40,000 fatalities on U.S. roads each year, the urgency to improve road safety has never been greater. Experts believe that technology could play a key role in keeping drivers safer in the years ahead. In the next 12 to 15 years, the majority of vehicles in the U.S. could be equipped with C-V2X, or Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything communications—a technology that could transform the way cars interact with each other and their environment.

C-V2X enables cars to “talk” to one another in real-time, helping prevent collisions before they happen. “It’s cars communicating with each other so they don’t crash into each other,” explained Dr. Billy Kihei, an Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He believes this technology has the potential to significantly reduce accidents, especially those involving impaired drivers.

“This could help address up to 80 percent of unimpaired accidents in the U.S.,” said Dr. Kihei, highlighting the massive safety benefits that C-V2X offers. However, he points out that while this technology holds great promise, its widespread adoption is still over a decade away. So, in the meantime, what can be done to improve safety on the road?

Dr. Kihei and his team are researching a system that would enhance the capabilities of C-V2X by adding radar-like sensing technology. By using the communication signals from C-V2X, the system could passively detect and “see” other vehicles on the road, even if those vehicles aren’t yet communicating with the system. Essentially, the technology would allow cars to “sense” their surroundings in much the same way radar does.

“Imagine an antenna that listens 360 degrees around the vehicle,” said Dr. Kihei. “Even if someone is texting and driving, and their car is communicating, but they’re not paying attention, our technology would be listening for them.” This would significantly increase the car’s awareness of its surroundings and provide an extra layer of safety, particularly in scenarios where a driver’s attention is compromised.

While many newer cars are already equipped with advanced safety features such as cameras and sensors, Dr. Kihei’s research aims to take this a step further. Current autonomous vehicles use cameras to scan their environment and piece together data from multiple sensors. However, his system would use radio frequency signals, which can “see” around corners, over hills, and through obstacles like vegetation—areas where traditional sensors might struggle.

“This technology could really make a dent in reducing fatalities on the roadways,” Dr. Kihei said. By enhancing cars’ ability to sense and communicate with their environment, even when direct line-of-sight is blocked, this system could make driving safer long before C-V2X becomes a standard feature in every vehicle.

As we look ahead, the combination of technologies like C-V2X and advanced radar-like sensing could offer a safer future on the roads, potentially saving thousands of lives each year. While the full integration of these innovations may take time, the ongoing research provides hope that the future of driving will be much safer than today’s roads.

By Impact Lab