Nathan Bomey

USA TODAY

U.S. auto-safety regulators on Tuesday proposed new rules requiring automakers to adopt crash-avoidance technology that allows all new vehicles to communicate with each other, a move that could help accelerate the development of self-driving cars.

The requirement of so-called vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity — simply called V2V in industry parlance — on all consumer vehicles within about five years is viewed as central to the development of a new age of cars that can avoid accidents by wirelessly monitoring each other. V2V technology uses short-range radio communication to allow vehicles to identify each other's speed, location, direction and acceleration or braking, within a radius of about 300 meters.

The move marks a concrete step by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration toward its goal of eliminating roadway deaths within 30 years.

"Today’s announcement Is another step in our continuing effort to improve safety and advanced innovation," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told reporters in a conference call. "What V2V does is give drivers 360-degree awareness to avoid collisions."

To be sure, the proposed rule arrives in the lame-duck period of the Obama administration, rendering it susceptible to being dumped in short order by the Trump administration.

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But the president-elect has not displayed misgivings about the prospects of autonomous cars, meaning the vehicle-to-vehicle technology could move full speed ahead, although he has pledged to abolish various government regulations.

"I obviously can’t speak for the next administration, but I can say from a safety perspective, this is a no-brainer," Foxx said.

NHTSA officials have said that before the end of the Obama administration, the safety agency would also issue proposed guidance on systems that allow vehicles to receive warnings from fixed objects, such as stop lights or barriers on curves, which would improve safety along with traffic flow. Together, the agency believes that vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure technology could eliminate or greatly reduce the seriousness of up to 80% of crashes that don't involve driver impairment.

Dave Sullivan, analyst at AutoPacific, said automakers "seem to have a need" for harmonized V2V standards. But it's too early to tell whether Trump's administration will let the standards fly.

"Everything seems so up in the air" regarding regulation for advanced driver assistance systems, Sullivan said.

Foxx said the rule could take about a year to take effect, after which it would require automakers to comply on 50% of their new vehicles within two years and 100% within four years.

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The Washington-based industry group for automakers, Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said it would review the new rule, but hinted that it may back it.

"V2V systems can provide another form of information about other vehicles or road hazards at greater distances and around corners," the alliance said in a statement.

NHTSA pledged that the technology would not divulge any personal information regarding drivers.

The move to mandate the systems comes after more than a decade of testing and collaboration with the auto industry, which is advancing V2V technology in new self-driving car technology.

Although self-driving cars will use light-mapping systems, radar, sensors and cameras to monitor their surroundings, V2V technology is still critical because it does not require visual sightings.

The new rule would apply only to consumer vehicles for now, but the agency said it believes the technology has tremendous potential for medium- and heavy-duty trucks and buses.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Nathan Bomey on Twitter @NathanBomey.