Queensland cars to talk to each other

Cars on Queensland’s roads will soon be able to ‘talk’ with one another safely, after the state government signed off on an Australian-first security system.

The Security Credential Management System (SCMS) will be deployed by the Department of Transport and Main Roads to allow cars to share authentic information securely up to 10 times a second.

“The SCMS is an additional control on top of traditional Information and communication technology security measures that when applied, ensures that the system produces reliable and accurate information on which safety decisions can be made,” said Queensland Minister for Transport and Main Roads, Mark Bailey.

The security system, which is similar to one being used by the U.S. Department of Transportation, comes as Queensland plans to trial its Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS), which will involve around 500 public and fleet vehicles being retrofitted with vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) and vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) applications.

This will allow vehicles to share real-time information on road conditions and traffic, as well as safety warnings.

The trial is part of the Queensland government’s larger Cooperative and Automated Vehicle Initiative (CAVI), which looks to prepare the state for the arrival of new vehicle technologies, such as self-driving cars.

Bailey said that the SCMS is about ensuring this data has integrity.

“The SCMS provides the assurance that the data being rapidly exchanged between cars is trustworthy. This is integral to delivering a secure and safe system for the pilot and participants.”

The system is will be a partnership between Integrity Security Solutions, the iMOVE Cooperative Research Centre (CRC), and state and federal governments.

Federal Minister for Urban Infrastructure and Cities, Paul Fletcher, said the system would help the Federal government map out the security requirements of more connected roads.

“C-ITS has the potential to bring a range of safety and productivity benefits to road transport, and the Australian Government supports a nationally consistent approach to its deployment,” he said.

“Ensuring the security of emerging connected and automated vehicles is critical to their uptake and adoption by the public.

“The Queensland trial will also provide a broader basis to assess the costs and benefits of C-ITS in the Australian urban environment.”