‘The more information that can be shared on the road, the fewer surprises there are. And when you’re driving, surprises are what you most want to avoid,’ said Erik Israelsson, project leader for C-ITS at Volvo Cars.
As well as communicating between the test vehicles, the slippery-road alert system also sends information about icy patches to road administrators, as a complement to existing road-weather measurement stations along the road. This data will assist road administrators and contractors to better plan and execute winter road maintenance and quickly address changes in road conditions.
The technology is presently in a test phase, with the goal of being implemented in the coming years. 1 000 vehicles are now testing the technology in Gothenburg (Sweden) and Oslo (Norway). The Norwegian Public Roads Administration will also conduct an independent assessment of the system to identify additional uses for the data in aiding future winter road maintenance plans.
