	Background

Although there were about 32,000 motor vehicle traffic fatalities in the  United States in 2011, the number has generally declined in recent years. DOT and Industry Have Developed and Piloted V2V Technologies, Which Offer Potentially Significant Safety Benefits If Broadly Deployed

Efforts by DOT and the automobile industry to develop V2V technologies  have reached the point at which they have been tested in a 12-month,  real world pilot that will conclude in February 2014. These efforts have  focused on developing and testing needed components including  hardware to send and receive data among vehicles, software applications  to analyze data and identify potential collisions, vehicle features that issue  warnings to drivers of these potential collisions, and a security system to  ensure trust in the data that are being communicated among vehicles. According to DOT, once deployed, V2V technologies have the potential to  address—by providing warnings to drivers—76 percent of all potential  multi-vehicle crashes involving at least one light-duty vehicle. Development of these technologies has progressed to the point of real  world testing. The  result will be an estimate of the effectiveness of V2V safety applications. Driver response: The benefits of V2V technologies will also depend on  how well drivers respond to warning messages. DOT has been collaborating with automobile  manufacturers and others to identify potential solutions to these  challenges and is planning continued efforts to support the eventual  deployment of V2V technologies. V2V Technology Deployment Challenges and Efforts to Address Them

According to experts we interviewed, DOT officials, automobile  manufacturers, and other stakeholders, the deployment of V2V  technologies faces a number of challenges, including: (1) finalizing the  technical framework and management structure of a V2V communication  security system to ensure trust among vehicles, (2) ensuring that the  possible sharing of the band of radio-frequency spectrum used by V2V  communications will not adversely affect their performance, (3)  considering human factors to ensure that drivers respond appropriately to  V2V warnings, (4) addressing the uncertainty related to potential liability  issues posed by V2V technologies, and (5) addressing any concerns the  public may have about V2V technologies, including those related to  privacy. Technical framework: Of the 21 experts we interviewed, 12 cited the  technical development of a V2V communication security system as a  great or very great challenge to the deployment of V2V technologies. As noted  earlier, DOT officials told us that they do not want to take certain actions,  such as determining the structure of a V2V communication security  system, until after NHTSA’s late 2013 decision on how to proceed  regarding V2V technologies. Costs of V2V Technologies Are Being Studied and Are Likely to Be Influenced by Various Factors Including Specifics of V2V Communication Security System

DOT and the automobile industry, through the CAMP VSC 3 Consortium,  are currently analyzing the total costs of deploying V2V technologies,  which include the costs of in-vehicle components and the costs  associated with a V2V communication security system. DOT is currently  obtaining estimates of the costs of in-vehicle V2V components from  automobile manufacturers and industry suppliers and has engaged a  contractor to study the potential costs of providing V2V communications  security through a number of possible technical and management  options. NHTSA will use these cost estimates to inform its decision on  how to proceed with V2V technologies later this year. All of the automobile manufacturers we interviewed said that it is difficult  to estimate the costs of in-vehicle V2V components at this time because  too many factors remain unknown. Although the costs of in-vehicle V2V components are difficult to estimate  at this time, they may be modest compared to the price of a new vehicle. Furthermore, it is currently not only difficult to estimate the potential costs,  but unclear who or what entity—consumers, automobile manufacturers,  DOT, state and local governments, or others—would pay the costs. Agency Comments

We provided a draft of this report to the Secretary of Transportation and  the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission for review and  comment. In addition, we collaborated with the National Academies of Sciences  (NAS) to identify and recruit experts in vehicle-to-vehicle technologies. Specifically, we are examining:  (1) the progress of development of connected vehicle technologies that involve vehicle-to-vehicle  communications and their anticipated benefits;  (2) the challenges that affect the development and deployment of these technologies and their potential costs; and  (3) how the U.S. Department of Transportation is leading efforts to address these challenges.
Why GAO Did This Study

In 2011, 5.3 million vehicle crashes in the United States resulted in more than 2.2 million injuries and about 32,000 fatalities. While improvements in automobile safety have reduced the number of fatalities in recent decades, DOT has worked with the automobile industry to develop V2V technologies, through which vehicles are capable of warning drivers of imminent collisions by sharing data, including information on speed and location, with nearby vehicles. GAO was asked to review the status of V2V technologies. GAO examined (1) the state of development of V2V technologies and their anticipated benefits; (2) the challenges, if any, that will affect the deployment of these technologies and what actions, if any, DOT is taking to address them; and (3) what is known about the potential costs associated with these technologies.
GAO reviewed documentation on V2V technology-related efforts by DOT and automobile manufacturers, visited a pilot study of V2V technologies in Michigan, and interviewed DOT officials, automobile manufacturers, and 21 experts identified by the National Academies of Sciences. Experts were selected based on their level of knowledge and to represent a variety of subject areas related to V2V technology development.
DOT and the Federal Communications Commission reviewed a draft of this report and provided technical comments which were incorporated as appropriate.

What GAO Found

The development of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) technologies has progressed to the point of real world testing, and if broadly deployed, they are anticipated to offer significant safety benefits. Efforts by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) and the automobile industry have focused on developing: 1) in-vehicle components such as hardware to facilitate communications among vehicles, 2) safety software applications to analyze data and identify potential collisions, 3) vehicle features that warn drivers, and 4) a national communication security system to ensure trust in the data transmitted among vehicles. According to DOT, if widely deployed, V2V technologies could provide warnings to drivers in as much as 76 percent of potential multi-vehicle collisions involving at least one light vehicle, such as a passenger car. Ultimately, however, the level of benefits realized will depend on the extent of the deployment of these technologies and the effectiveness of V2V warnings in eliciting appropriate driver responses. The continued progress of V2V technology development hinges on a decision that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) plans to make in late 2013 on how to proceed regarding these technologies. One option would be to pursue a rulemaking requiring their inclusion in new vehicles.
The deployment of V2V technologies faces a number of challenges, which DOT is working with the automobile industry to address. According to experts, DOT officials, automobile manufacturers, and other stakeholders GAO interviewed, these challenges include: 1) finalizing the technical framework and management framework of a V2V communication security system, which will be unique in its size and structure; 2) ensuring that the possible sharing with other wireless users of the radio-frequency spectrum used by V2V communications will not adversely affect V2V technology's performance; 3) ensuring that drivers respond appropriately to warnings of potential collisions; 4) addressing the uncertainty related to potential liability issues posed by V2V technologies; and 5) addressing any concerns the public may have, including those related to privacy. DOT is collaborating with automobile manufacturers and others to find potential technical and policy solutions to these challenges and plans to continue these efforts. Although V2V technologies are being tested in a real-world pilot that will end in February 2014, DOT officials stated that they cannot fully plan for deployment until NHTSA decides how to proceed later this year.
DOT and the automobile industry are currently analyzing the total costs associated with V2V technologies, which include the costs of both in-vehicle components and a communication security system. All of the automobile manufacturers GAO interviewed said that it is difficult to estimate in-vehicle V2V component costs at this time because too many factors--such as future production volumes and the time frame of deployment--remain unknown. The costs associated with a V2V communication security system also remain unknown as the specifics of the system's technical framework and management structure are not yet finalized. While the costs of in-vehicle V2V components may be modest relative to the price of a new vehicle, some experts noted that the potential costs associated with the operation of a V2V communication security system could be significant. Further, it is currently unclear who--consumers, automobile manufacturers, DOT, state and local governments, or others--would pay the costs associated with a V2V communication security system.