Over a decade ago, I started thinking about what life would be like with connected cars. Erratic drivers, speeding tickets and unfavorable weather could be avoided while driving. I read an article recently that takes a more in-depth look at the future of connected driving titled, Big Data: When Cars Can Talk by Jeff Bertolucci of InformationWeek. It begs the question: how can connected roads, cars and drivers make for a safer traveling experience?

Wouldn't it be great if you could stop an accident before it happened or at least lessen your chances of being involved in one? In the future, connected roads, cars and drivers will be able to gather data to make informed decisions about traffic, weather and other vehicles on the road creating -quite literally -a communication highway. Vehicle speed and driver attention, enabled by automation features, will be communicated to surrounding drivers and help those sharing the road prevent accidents. By sharing this data with other vehicles, drivers can make cautious decisions based on if drivers around them are paying attention to the road, distracted or traveling at unsafe rate of speed.

A deeper look into the future of connected vehicles and how humans currently utilize transportation gives way to the idea that one day, we will not drive our own cars at all. All vehicles communicating data with one another will eventually lead to self-driving cars that will deliver safer road conditions and more predictability while driving. According to Ford, today there are about 1 billion cars on the road. By 2050, 4 billion cars will be in operation with an estimated 70% self-driving. The technology represents the role IoE plays in creating safety, sustainability and efficiency.

Would you ride in a connected vehicle? Comment below or tweet me at @DaveTheFuturist.