Autonomous cars are equipped with advanced communication features that allow drivers to perform a variety of computerized functions from mapping destination locations to checking personal heart rates and blood pressure readings.

Autonomous Car Technology

With the introduction of smartphones, technology experienced many advances in communication systems. As consumer demands increased and consumer prices dropped, technological advances appeared in home electronics, appliances, lighting controls, sound systems, security systems, and home automation systems. Now those same communication technologies are being used in autonomous cars, the next wave of vehicles that promise consumers eco-friendly features and ultimate driver convenience.

Driverless cars are already on the road in Arizona, California, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, and Washington, but they are restricted to specific test areas and driving conditions to prevent car accidents and injuries. Predictions for the arrival of fully autonomous cars range from a few years to a few decades, depending on varying definitions of what autonomous means. While some people use this word to describe self-driving cars, others consider it to mean cars without steering wheels or brake pedals. Manufacturers are focused on autonomous cars that have vehicle-to-infrastructure communication (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle communication (V2V).

Interactions with autonomous cars will be similar to interactions with smartphones and computers but focused on safe driving technology. V2I communication will enable driverless cars to parallel park without a driver, communicate with traffic signals, and optimize how cars travel on roadways. Optimizing car movement can help to prevent traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions, and provide eco-friendly transit solutions. Smart pavement companies like Integrated Roadways are developing communication technologies between cars and roadways, so vehicles can get real-time data about traffic and road conditions through sensors in the road.

Although many new car models currently have instruments that use radar or ultrasound to detect obstacles or vehicles, the range used by sensors is limited to a few car lengths, and they cannot see past the nearest obstruction. Autonomous cars of the future will allow cars to communicate their speed, location, destination, driving conditions, car problems, and other data to vehicles within a few hundred meters of their current location. Other cars can use this information to build a detailed picture of what’s unfolding around them. Such information can alert other drivers to car accidents, traffic jams, and other road problems in specific areas that may lead to car accidents and injuries.

If you or a loved one has been seriously injured due to negligence, call an experienced Las Vegas car accident lawyer at Cogburn Law Offices today for a free case consultation.