Disclosed is an identification system to improve safety on roads and allow for the driver or for the vehicle itself, if it is autonomous or semi-autonomous, to have readable and useful information about road signs, roadways, and adjacent roadway information. The disclosed identification system comprises a marker with marker communication information that can be read by a vehicle information system to provide information to the vehicle. Information that the marker communication information may convey would allow the vehicle information system to detect or recognize, or both detect and recognize critical road sign, roadway information, and adjacent roadway information. Then, the vehicle information system could respond to the information received from the marker communication information.

Some embodiments are directed to methods and apparatus for predicting traffic conditions and controlling a host vehicle based on the predicted conditions for travel along a path. The methods and apparatus can perform the following: accessing current path data relevant to a location and speed the host vehicle; detecting data, from a vehicular communications network, from a merging vehicle intending to merge into the path of the host vehicle; detecting data, from the vehicular communications network, of preceding traffic in the path of the host vehicle; determining a speed and location of the merging vehicle from the data transmitted over the vehicle communications network; determining a speed and location of preceding traffic on the path of the host vehicle from the data transmitted over the vehicular communications network; and predicting whether the speed of the preceding traffic or the speed of the merging vehicle will slow down during the merge.

An intelligent infrastructure system includes traffic safety control circuitry coupled to a traffic control device. The traffic control device transitions from a current operating mode to a next operating mode on a defined schedule. The traffic safety control circuitry can receive information representative of the time remaining until the traffic control device transitions from the current operating mode to the next operating mode from the traffic control device. The traffic safety control circuitry broadcasts a message containing information representative of the time remaining to vehicular safety control circuitry in vehicles approaching the traffic control device. The vehicular safety control circuitry can provide the vehicle operator at least with information indicative of the time remaining in which the traffic control device will remain in the current operating mode. The vehicular safety control circuitry may provide the vehicle operator with additional recommendations such as accelerate, maintain speed, and decelerate/brake.

A connected-vehicle interface module is provided that includes a connected-vehicle controller, a wireless data connected-vehicle radio for receiving an activation signal indicating a road condition, and a connected-vehicle interface controller. The connected-vehicle interface controller including a microcontroller and a plurality of universal asynchronous receiver transmitters for receiving, transmitting, and processing data received by at least one of the connected-vehicle controller and the connected-vehicle radio, and communicated to the microcontroller via one or more wired connections; a memory device for storing program data, a transceiver and one or more communication ports, coupled to the microcontroller, for connection and communication with a connected vehicle road side unit, wherein the activation signal is communicated to the connected vehicle road side unit via the one or more communication ports, and at least one operator interface in communication with at least one of the connected-vehicle radio, the connected-vehicle interface controller, and the connected-vehicle controller.

System and methods for using probes to detect and elicit dangerous driving conditions. Historical probe data is aggregated and analyzed to identify reoccurring dangerous driving conditions down to the lane level. The lane level locations with high recurring dangerous driving condition metrics are identified and analyzed by a mapping system. The mapping system uses machine learning and other techniques to investigate, validate, and verify the dangerous driving conditions to ascertain the cause and then categorize the dangerous driving condition.

A vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit includes a vehicle communication transceiver that transmits and receives messages to and from other vehicles. The messages include at least one safety message from another vehicle that indicates that the other vehicle has decreased its velocity. The vehicle-vehicle communication unit also includes a processor that based on the safety message generates a message for other vehicles indicating that the vehicle-to-vehicle communication unit has designated itself as an ad hoc host for determining information about a congested area on a roadway.

Among other things, an equipment for use on board a first ground transportation entity has (a) a receiver for information generated by a sensor of the environment of the first ground transportation entity, (b) a processor, and (c) a memory storing instructions executable by the processor to generate and send safety message information to a second ground transportation entity based on the information generated by the sensor.

A method, apparatus and computer program product are described so as to provide more additional information regarding vehicular behavior. In the context of a method, information is received regarding a location of the vehicle at a plurality of instances in time. The plurality of instances in time define a time period. The method also includes determining an environmental condition at the location during the time period and comparing the behavior of the vehicle to that of other vehicles at the location that are also subjected to the environmental condition. Additionally, the method may determine a score for the vehicle in relation to a risk factor based upon the behavior of the vehicle and the comparison to other vehicles at the location that are also subjected to the envir onmental condition.

A process is provided for examining a loss of media of a motor vehicle. By use of a first camera arranged on a motor vehicle, a driving route in the area in front of a motor vehicle that is driving in the travel direction and is to be monitored is scanned. The route behind the motor vehicle to be monitored is scanned by way of a second camera arranged on a motor vehicle. When scanning the driving route, a forward image and a rearward image are acquired. The two images are compared for detecting a medium lost by the motor vehicle to be monitored. The corresponding medium can be classified. Appropriate actions can be automatically carried out corresponding to the classification of the medium.

A method is presented for warning of bridge height clearance with a system that has a measuring device mounted on a bridge, a processor and a display. The method includes measuring the distance from the point at which the measuring device is mounted on the bridge to pavement below to obtain measurement data, processing the measurement data to calculate a clearance height of the bridge, and displaying a clearance height of the bridge on a display so that a driver approaching the bridge can see the current height of the bridge.