Houston to Launch $19M Program That Will Help Cars Communicate

Houston will use a $19 million grant to implement a program to create an interconnected traffic system where cars can communicate with other cars, traffic lights, cyclists, and other actors to prevent crashes and accidents. 

According to the Houston Chronicle, the Texas A&M Transportation Institute (TTI) announced it has installed cutting-edge equipment at intersections in Houston and College Station. This technology, funded by a $60 million federal grant, is designed to collect and broadcast real-time data to drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists. Known as vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology, it aims to enhance situational awareness on the road. 

The project, called TRUST (Transforming Roads Unleashing Smart Technology), involves using sensors to detect and communicate the presence of hazards, such as stopped vehicles or cyclists, directly to nearby drivers. This instantaneous information is a significant improvement over current systems that rely on delayed traffic data.

“We are saving lives with connectivity,” said Gregory Winfree, director of the TTI.

The TTI said the testing will enable cars to tell drivers about the status of a traffic signal, bicyclist or pedestrians in the car’s path, slow-downs ahead or dangerous roads and weather conditions, such as flooding.

The initiative is being tested in key locations around Houston, including downtown and along busy highways. While not all drivers currently have access to this technology, the goal is to integrate it into more vehicles, smartphones, and even wearable devices in the future.

“The U.S. has tolerated 40,000 roadway fatalities for decades and it is not recognized as the public health threat that it is,” Winfree said. “This is a step in addressing that with better awareness.”