Newly published ETSI Harmonized Standard will improve roads safety

Creation date: 13 October 2008

Over 42 000 people died in road accidents in the European Union (EU) in 2006 and over 1,6 million people were injured in the same year.  Approximately 7 500 km of traffic jams occur on EU roads every day. As part of the efforts to improve roads safety and traffic conditions, ETSI has published a Harmonized Standard enabling the automotive industry to introduce radio systems for ‘smart’ vehicle communications systems, so called ‘co-operative’ systems.

Such systems which enable vehicles to communicate to each other and to road infrastructure providers are based on wireless communication technology. Warning other drivers of adverse road conditions, or of a crash which has just happened are just two examples when this technology can contribute to reduce road accidents and traffic jams.

The European Commission (EC) published the decision providing for a single EU-wide frequency band to be used for immediate and reliable communication between cars, and between cars and roadside infrastructure, on 5 August 2008 (30 MHz of spectrum in the 5,9 Gigahertz (GHz) band), which is to be soon allocated to each EU Member State.

The Harmonized Standard ETSI EN 302 571 Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS);

Radiocommunications equipment operating in the 5 855 MHz to 5 925 MHz frequency band; Harmonized EN covering the essential requirements of article 3.2 of the R&TTE Directive completes the set of legal and regulatory instruments required for introducing such communications technologies widely know as ‘Intelligent Transport Systems’ (ITS) across the EU.

Introduction of these communications technologies is not limited to the EU and can be accomplished in all European states since the European Communications Committee (ECC) published the documents "ECC Decision of 14 March 2008 on the harmonized use of the 5 875 - 5 925 MHz frequency band for Intelligent transport systems (ITS)" and ECC Recommendation (08)01:"Use of band 5 855 – 5 875 MHz for Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS)" in close collaboration with ETSI. For more information please click here.