Speed limits, traffic news and weather reports will be beamed directly into cars as part of a new trial of connected vehicle technology in Kent.
Taking place on the London to Dover A2 and M2 route, the trial is planned to start by Christmas and will run for two years.
ITS-G5 technology enables the very latest cars to receive direct alerts such as warnings of congestion or approaching roadworks, and advice about the best lane to take.
It’s seen as an important step in providing the infrastructure needed for driverless cars, the Press Association reports.
Mike Wilson, safety, engineering and standards executive director for Highways England, said: “Having the technology in place to allow vehicles to connect to each other and the road around them has the potential to improve journeys, making them safer and more reliable by providing real-time, personalised information directly to the driver. It could also help us manage traffic and respond to incidents.
“The A2/M2 trial will test and demonstrate how this may work in the real world. We are delighted to be jointly funding and part of this international project.”
If the trial proves successful, it could one day lead to some motorway gantries and other signs being taken down.
Earlier this year, a Department for Transport (DfT) review found that the number of road signs across the country had doubled in 20 years to 4.3 million. Many signs are “entirely superfluous” or assume “an insulting degree of stupidity on the part of drivers,” the report said.
RAC spokesman Pete Williams welcomed the new technology, but stressed that it will be many years before it is commonplace in people’s cars.
“It will also be vital that drivers can trust the information that is provided to them, regardless of how it is delivered to them,” he added.
