The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) is currently road testing 3,000 intelligent vehicles equipped and interconnected with Wi-Fi to check the technology’s practicality in real-time traffic conditions.

The trial is being carried out as a part of USDOT’s Connected Vehicle Safety Pilot project, an initiative managed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and Research and Innovative Technologies Administration (RITA) Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office.

The aim of the year-long scheme is to help drivers avoid crashes and accidents, as well as improve overall traffic flow.

The interconnected cars, buses and trucks are equipped with vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) and vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication devices to collect information on system operability and its effectiveness to reduce crashes.

US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said that the technology can improve both the safety and efficiency of the country’s roads.

"That is a winning combination for drivers across America," LaHood added.

Wi-Fi-equipped vehicles send and receive electronic data messages, and use the data to caution drivers about hazardous traffic scenarios.

NHTSA administrator David Strickland said that vehicle-to-vehicle communication has the potential to improve roadway safety, but the administration is trying to understand how to apply the technology in an effective way in the real world.

"NHTSA will use the valuable data from the ‘model deployment’ as it decides if and when these connected vehicle safety technologies should be incorporated into the fleet," Strickland added.

RITA deputy administrator Gregory D Winfree said: "The deployment today is the culmination of years of cooperative research on forward-thinking technology designed to save lives and prevent injuries on America’s roads."