Wireless communication between vehicles may permit position information
about one vehicle to be communicated directly to another vehicle. Such an
information exchange between vehicles may increase the awareness of an
operator of a vehicle to other vehicles in the surrounding environment and
may help a vehicle operator operate the vehicle more safely. Vehicles may
share through the use of wireless communications position, direction,
speed, or other information, such as the deployment of safety devices or
the presence of particular types of vehicles (e.g., an emergency vehicle
or school bus). The vehicle that receives a wireless communication
compares the position, direction, and speed of incoming information from
another vehicle to the vehicle's own speed, direction, and position to
determine whether action is required. The action taken by the vehicle may
include providing general or specific warnings to the operator of the
vehicle or, in some cases, taking direct action, such as turning off
cruise control, applying brakes, or deploying traction control.
