Volkswagen Group’s Audi and Navistar are partnering to further develop and demonstrate potential safety enhancing C-V2X technology in Navistar emergency vehicles and school buses.
Working with Applied Information Inc and Traffic Control Corp, Audi and Navistar are researching how to improve safety and driver information in school zones, school bus stops and emergency vehicle situations.
While Audi and Applied Information have already demonstrated the potential uses of school zone technologies, the partnership will allow IC Bus school bus drivers to receive a visual and audible warning signal of a vehicle approaching a school bus stop – in a situation that the vehicle may not be able to stop.
The warning is designed to enable the school bus driver to intervene and advise the passengers leaving the bus to not enter the roadway or get on or off the bus only when it is safe to do so. The driver in the approaching car would also receive a warning signalling that a school bus is stopped ahead.
In order to help improve safety for emergency vehicle operators and drivers as a whole, Audi and International Truck, a subsidiary of Navistar, as well as technology partners Applied Information and Commsignia, will also demonstrate a new C-V2X application.
When an emergency vehicle is on call, Audi vehicles equipped with the new software can receive an audible and visual warning from the direction from which an ambulance or other emergency vehicle is approaching. The directional warning is designed to help direct drivers to get out of the way sooner than when the emergency vehicle is in their direct line of sight.
First deployments are expected to begin this summer.
