In 2010, vehicle crashes accounted for 32,788 fatalities on our nation's roads. While great strides have been made to reduce the rates of crash-related injuries and deaths, the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided the use of newer technology might help save lives. Beginning in August, DOT began testing wireless vehicle warning devices in consumer cars as part of its Connect Vehicle Safety Pilot program.

The program is a partnership between the DOT and the Crash Avoidance Metrics Partnership (CAMP) that is designed to monitor motorists in controlled environments using safety technologies. In the first stage of the program, 24 cars will be equipped with wireless devices called Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRCs). During this phase, called the Safety Pilot Driver Acceptance Clinic, drivers will test these built-in wireless safety warning devices, which can warn drivers of impending crashes.

Under the Safety Model Deployment initiative, the second phase of the program, up to 3,000 vehicles will be fitted with safety devices. These vehicles will communicate with urban infrastructures as well as other vehicles.

Motorists will be able to identify similarly equipped vehicles as well as receive warnings about potential crashes. The project will also test motorist responses as part of the effectiveness of these technologies in different driving situations.

Just last year, MIT's New England University Transportation Center (NEUTC) and Ford Motor Company announced collaborative research project results regarding new technology advancements. The nine-month study proved that new technologies reduced driver anxieties during aided tasks such as parallel parking and backing up.

For the Connect Vehicle Safety Pilot program, other promising crash-avoiding technologies include devices that allow vehicles to communicate with other vehicles, with traffic lights, work zones, and other infrastructure. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a division of DOT, these technologies, specifically the IntelliDrive type systems, could address a majority of unimpaired car crashes.

Many support the advent of smart car technologies, but highway safety stakeholders also reviewed the impact of similar technologies in the field of aviation. As a result of automation addictions, pilots dependent on autopilot and computer systems had more crashes and other mishaps. One concern is that a similar result could happen among motorists. Poorly trained or inexperienced drivers could become a new risk factor on our highways.

While the federal government and auto industry test smart car technologies, drivers on the road should not forget one simple fact: computers cannot replace the human brain in the quest for safety. Drivers need to be aware of their surroundings at all times, even if the new safety technology ultimately becomes widespread.

If you have been injured by another driver's negligence, contact a personal injury attorney to discuss your case.