The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says it will study vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications technology.
According to trade media reports, the NHTSA issued an advanced notice of proposed rulemaking that could eventually lead to a mandate for certain V2V technologies in light vehicles.
It is thought that V2V technology could be part of future systems aimed at improving passenger car and truck safety via telematics and on-board short-range communications between vehicles on the road.
NHTSA said V2V communications technologies that help motorists avoid accidents at intersections could save 1,083 lives per year and prevent up to 592,000 crashes.
“This technology could move us from helping people survive crashes to helping them avoid crashes altogether,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx in a statement.
NHTSA plans to work on a proposed rule on V2V communications for release sometime in 2016, the agency said.
Developers are already experimenting and testing V2V technology in the trucking world. California based Peloton Technologies, for example, is developing a system that uses radar-based collision mitigation equipment and V2V communication technology to enable the close-in platooning of two tractor-trailers.