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Cars avoid crashes by talking to each other

By Joan Lowy
Published June 8, 2012 2:03pm ET
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Cars avoid crashes by talking to each other
In this photo taken, Tuesday, May 22, 2012, professional test driver J.D. Ellis of Cincinnati, Ohio, demonstrates the dashboard warning signal in a Ford Taurus, at an automobile testing area in Oxon Hill, Md. The display at a recent transportation conference was a peek into the future of automotive safety: cars that to talk to each other and warn drivers of impending collisions. Later this summer, the government is launching a yearlong, real-world test involving nearly 3,000 cars, trucks and buses using volunteer drivers in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh) | Susan Walsh

WASHINGTON (AP) — As a safety demonstration, it was a heart-stopper: A Ford Taurus was seconds away from cruising through an intersection when suddenly a row of red lights pulsed on the lower windshield and a warning blared that another car was approaching fast on the cross street.

Braking quickly, the driver stopped just as the second car, previously unseen behind a large parked truck, barreled through a red light and across the Ford’s path.

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