Vodafone is aiming to prevent traffic accidents before they happen with the launch of an extensive mobile alert system providing instant updates on the country’s roads.
The mobile operator’s new network hopes to reduce traffic congestion and travel times by sending real-time crash and delay data to car navigation systems and smartphone apps.
The system’s developers believe it could potentially stop potential accidents, such as alerting the driver information system of a pedestrian who is about to run off the road.
The service known as Safer Transport for Europe (STEP) will share data between mobile users, motorists, transport authorities, breakdown companies and emergency services to create a detailed picture of the road network.
Vodafone’s Luke Ibbetson said the system has the potential to send a collision alert to pedestrians, cyclists, other drivers and ambulance services as soon as a vehicle’s airbag is triggered.
He said the same data would also be monitored by road authorities, who could start redirecting traffic seconds after an accident occurs.
The system is based on technology that could eventually usher in driverless cars, which use a constant stream of data from sensors to communicate with their other vehicles and surroundings.
The developers believe it could also be used effectively on smart highways, which have faced calls for closure due to a number of fatalities linked to stranded motorists.
Trials of Vodafone’s ‘vehicle-to-everything’ platform will begin in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton, where Highways England alerts will be sent to smartphones.
Google already uses smartphone data to send traffic information to its Google Maps app, but Vodafone believes its system will be faster and more accurate because the data will be processed through a dedicated command centre.
Vehicle position data will be sent 10 times per second by motorists using the service, creating a live feed of traffic speed or if a vehicle has broken down.
Vodafone said STEP would be free to use and would work on all satellite navigation systems and vehicle mapping applications that partner with the project.
He said all data would be anonymized and would start with backing up messages about lane closures, speed limits and traffic accidents.
The system will also help truck drivers alert cyclists and pedestrians who are out of sight and help locate stolen vehicles.
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Source: www.telegraph.co.uk
This notice was published: 2022-03-31 08:00:00
