Skip to main content

Drivers connected as never before

Australia’s New South Wales Centre for Road Safety is to embark on a trial that will allow trucks to transmit and receive warnings about road hazards. The Cooperative Intelligent Transport Initiative (CITI) project will trial Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) technology along a 42 kilometre major transport link in the Wollongong region. Historically, most crashes along this route involve heavy vehicles, so the first phase of the five-year trial will include 30 heavy vehicles fitted with CI
May 2, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Australia’s New South Wales Centre for Road Safety is to embark on a trial that will allow trucks to transmit and receive warnings about road hazards.

The Cooperative Intelligent Transport Initiative (CITI) project will trial Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) technology along a 42 kilometre major transport link in the Wollongong region. Historically, most crashes along this route involve heavy vehicles, so the first phase of the five-year trial will include 30 heavy vehicles fitted with CITS devices. The trial is expected to commence in mid 2014.

Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (CITS) have the potential to improve road safety by allowing vehicles to communicate with each other, as well as roadside infrastructure, including traffic signals and railway level crossings.

Drivers using CITS technology can be advised of: imminent collisions with nearby CITS-equipped vehicles; current speed limits; potential red-light violations (based on vehicle speed and traffic signal phasing); local road conditions, such as roadwork, fog, and water over the road; and approaching emergency vehicles.

Using a dedicated 5.9 GHz frequency, data such as vehicle position, direction and speed is transmitted between CITS-equipped vehicles and roadside infrastructure. Messages and alerts can be rapidly communicated to drivers connected by the system. This technology allows vehicles to see each other as never before, such as around a corner or over the crest of a hill, as well as sending warnings to drivers of a potential crash.

CITS technology will be also be used in a trial of smart rest areas along the Newell Highway between Narrabri and Gilgandra to help improve road safety for heavy vehicle drivers. The technology to allow heavy vehicle drivers to receive instant information about: the location of heavy vehicle rest areas; the distance and estimated travel time to rest areas; and vacancy details of the rest areas.

Related Content

  • German authorities use CB-radio message to reduce accidents in roadworks
    April 8, 2014
    Citizen Band radio is proving useful to prevent accidents in Germany’s roadworks. In common with other German Länder (federal regions) with large volumes of commercial vehicles using their trunk road networks, Bavaria had been experiencing high levels of road traffic accidents (RTAs) involving heavy trucks in the vicinity of minor motorway maintenance sites. This was despite the extensive visual warning regulations published in the German federal road safety audit (RSA) guidelines for the protection of site
  • FCC seeking comments on opening up 5 GHz band
    April 15, 2013
    The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking comments on a proposed rule that would make the 5.85-5.925 GHz band of spectrum available for expanded wi-fi services. The band is currently dedicated to uses associated with connected vehicle programs. FCC officials announced earlier this year that the commission is seeking to open up the 5 GHz band in order to alleviate wi-fi congestion at major hubs, such as airports and convention centres. However, there are concerns that the technology to prevent
  • China paves way to enhanced safety with C-V2X
    September 30, 2021
    China is blazing a trail for C-V2X technology and paving the way for deployments worldwide, explains Qualcomm Technologies' Jim Misener
  • Bringing V2I and V2V communications to workzone safety
    January 26, 2012
    Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering talks about efforts to bring V2I and V2V communications into work zones. With USDOT backing and under the auspices of the ITS Joint Program Office Connected Vehicle Research (formerly IntelliDrive) research programme, M. Imran Hayee of the University of Minnesota Duluth's Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering along with team of his students, have been conducting research into the application of