Cars could talk to each other to warn of dangers, experts predict

CARS could be able to “talk” to each other to warn about dangers on the roads using 5G technology in future, according to researchers.

Experts at Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) believe 5G may enable cars to send each other messages about risks such as ice or potholes.

The GCU smart connectivity and sensing research group’s work using mobile networks spans more than 25 years and includes street-lighting systems, vehicles, communication and smart cities.

Its experts now believe the high-speed, low-delay nature of 5G will improve the reliability and capability of automated vehicles to the point where they will be safer than the manual cars being driven today.

They predict the number of road traffic accidents - which according to the World Health Organisation account for more than 1.3 million deaths and up to 50 million people injured worldwide every year - will drop drastically as a result.

Dr Dimitrios Liarokapis, a member of the research group, said: “To have a better idea of what the future will look like, think of having Tesla-like cars that not only use sensors to scan what’s around them, they can also talk to each other and exchange safety-related information about their surroundings over an area that covers several square miles. I’m sure anyone who has had a bad experience on frozen roads would have benefited from knowing about the dangerous conditions in advance so they could have adjusted their speed.”