Brussels, 05/08/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 5 August, the European Commission decided to reserve part of its radio-electric spectrum for smart vehicle communication systems, in the hope that this measure will facilitate traffic management and reduce the number of road accidents. This frequency, 30 MHz of spectrum in the 5.9 Gigahertz (GHz) band will be allocated across Europe for road safety purposes and will help vehicles communicate with each other, as well as vehicles and road infrastructure. Member states have six months to allocate the frequency. This decision, however, will not prevent pre-existing services in this frequency (such as amateur radio services).
The system already exists in Japan (since 1997) and the US (since 1999) and will help communicate traffic information. In practice, each vehicle will be fitted with transmitter-detector technology which when activated will allow them to 'talk' to other cars and road infrastructure providers and, for example, warn other drivers of slippery roads or of a crash which just happened. The same device can also be installed along highways. Signals will be sent between different vehicles or between infrastructure and vehicles fitted with detectors or traffic management centres fitted with the device. For example, when a traffic management centre has to inform drivers of a sudden road closure, for example, the alternative route to take or speed limits, it will also be able to send this information to a transmitter detector along the respective road, which then passes it on to the vehicles driving by. The system can be switched off at will. “Today's Commission decision is a decisive step towards meeting the European goal of reducing road accidents. Getting critical messages through quickly and accurately is a must for road safety,” said Viviane Reding, EU Telecoms Commissioner. “We should also keep in mind that with 24% of Europeans' driving time spent in traffic jams the costs caused by congestion could reach €80 billion by 2010. So clearly saving time through smart vehicles communications systems means saving money” declared the Commissioner. The Commission is hoping that this new system can be put on the market by 2010-11 but member states will have to allocate the planned frequency band when the decision enters into force. (A.by/trans/rh)