Nebraska residents may find it interesting that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is moving forward in their efforts to enable vehicle-to-vehicle communication technologies in lighter cars. The technology would essentially make it possible for cars to communicate with each other in the hopes of cutting down on vehicle accidents. Drivers would be able to provide information to other drivers, such as upcoming lane changes or inform about car accidents on the highway that could help to prevent imminent collisions.
Experts believe that the V2V technology could bring a significant decrease to vehicle motorcycle-car accidents as well since so many accidents of this nature happen because the driver of a car may not always be able to see a motorcyclist on the roadway. In fact, studies indicate that cars often violate the right-of-way of a motorcyclist because it is difficult to see them; this accounts for two-thirds of motorcycle-car collisions. Often, a driver may see a motorcyclist when it is already too late to avoid the accident.
Statistics taken from the report have only increased since it was originally filed in 1981 due to the use of cellphones and distracted driving that increase the chances of a collision. V2V technology could potentially raise awareness that a motorcyclist is present and may lead to a decrease in collisions such as rear-end and lane-change accidents.
Since the V2V application appears to be promising in cutting down accidents caused by inattentive driving, it could also potentially affect the law as it pertains to motorcycle accidents. An attorney may be able to advise their client on changing protocol and alter their defense strategy accordingly.
Source: Ultimate Motorcycling, “Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Motorcycles?”, Gary llminen, Jan. 6, 2015
