Gizmo could revolutionise road safety

A £75 computer system could revolutionise road safety by allowing cars to talk to each other and warn drivers there is a hazard ahead.

More than 1.35 million people die each year in traffic accidents, with between 20 and 50 million suffering non-fatal injuries.

To tackle the issues, connected vehicle experts at Autotalks have developed a chip which broadcasts a car’s location, direction and speed up to ten times per second.

All other ‘connected cars’ in the surrounding area receive messages - and each vehicle can then estimate the risk imposed by the transmitting vehicle.

If there is a potential hazard, such as a motorcyclist not slowing down for a junction, a warning will show up on the car’s infotainment screen.

Eventually, instead of just providing drivers with a warning, fully autonomous cars will take direct action to prevent a crash.

The technology is known as ‘vehicle to everything’ (V2X) and allows the car to talk to other vehicles along with infrastructure such as traffic lights and, eventually, mobile phones to help prevent pedestrians being involved in collisions.

V2X, which could cost as little as £75 to be installed on a new car, is being highlighted by Hyundai, whose Tel Aviv-based CRADLE team has invested in the company.

It follows research by Hyundai which revealed 15 per cent of British motorists have had a nearmiss in the past month after becoming distracted at the wheel.