Life in the fast lane

General Motors, in Detroit, is working on small, portable devices to create a wireless safety net around vehicles.

They are being designed to warn drivers about slowed or stalled vehicles, hard-braking drivers, slippery roads, sharp curves and upcoming stop signs and junctions.

GM says that studies in the US suggest the vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication systems could help avert nearly 81 per cent of all crashes.

GM has been testing the technology in two mobile platforms: a transponder about the size of a GPS unit and a smartphone application that can be tied to the vehicle’s display unit.

The smartphones have the potential to be used by pedestrians and bicyclists, who could download a special application to let drivers know their location.