Scientific breakthroughs require vision and a leap of faith. In the 1950s, President Eisenhower envisioned the Mercury program to first carry Americans into space. In 1961, President Kennedy upped the ante. He declared that the U.S. would land a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade.

When Astronaut Neil Armstrong finally stepped onto the moon’s surface in 1969, he famously said, “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But in reality, the lunar landing was the result of countless small steps as the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo space programs tested every aspect of the technology leading up to that historic mission.  

To Boldly Drive

This past summer, the U.S. funded another bold vision: “Saving Lives with Connectivity: Accelerating V2X Deployment.” The objective is to develop a communication network on our roadways that would make us all safer. Arizona, Texas, and Utah have been funded to carry out some pre-requisite experiments needed to make this leap into the future.

The term V2X stands for “vehicle-to-everything” communication. Cars equipped with this technology send and receive signals with other cars, roadside devices, or wireless devices to relay information about traffic patterns and hazards. For example, messages could be sent to approaching vehicles to alert them to a crash, slowed traffic ahead, or emergency vehicles. The cars receiving the signal could slow without human intervention.

Out of Sight

Maricopa County in Arizona received $19.6 million to conduct its tests. These experiments will deploy an estimated 400 vehicle onboard units connected to 750 physical and virtual roadside devices. The tests will take place in Phoenix, Tolleson, Avondale, and unincorporated parts of the county over the next few years.

So being part of a grand experiment to teach our cars to “talk” and “listen” to road signs and digital towers seems only natural. These preliminary tests may not carry the names of Greek and Roman gods, as early space mission did, but this connectivity program is just as mythical in the making.

Some may call these small steps in car safety wild. I call it taking a leap of faith into a better future.

(This blog appeared as an opinion piece in Ahwatukee Foothill News.)