The Government will today launch a pilot programme of new connected vehicle technology designed to increase road safety.
‘Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems’ enable vehicles to ‘talk’ to other connected vehicles, roadside infrastructure, and traffic management control centres to share relevant safety-related alerts and advisory messages with drivers.
The technology will be used to send safety alerts, in real time, directly to drivers in their vehicles.
The safety alerts will be sent through smartphone apps connected to the mobile phone network or through tablets connected to roadside units installed on the M50 and M1 motorways.
The devices will display messages relating to collisions, congestion, stationary vehicles, road works, and hazardous weather.
They will also identify electric vehicle (EV) charging points in the vicinity of the driver.
The pilot has no element of vehicle automation, drivers will always remain in control of their vehicles during the pilot, however the technology represents an important link in the transition to self-driving cars.
Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is delivering the pilot on behalf of the Department of Transport.
TII is calling for 1,500 members of the public to participle in the pilot which will run until the end of 2024.
They will be among the first in Ireland to experience the new driving technology and will contribute to connected vehicle development and implementation.
Members of the public are invited to register their interest in participating in the pilot by logging on to cits.tii.ie and completing a short survey aimed at assessing their suitability to participate.
The pilot programme is co-funded by the European Union as part of the C-Roads Platform, a joint initiative of 18 EU member states and road operators designed to harmonise the standards for the implementation and deployment of Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems on European roads.
