How vehicle-to-everything communication helps road users see what line of sight alone cannot.
V2X, or Vehicle-to-Everything, is a connected system that allows motorized vehicles, bicycles, roadside infrastructure, and digital road infrastructure to share information. It combines direct communication and network communication into one hybrid approach, depending on the use case and how quickly the information needs to travel.
V2X is a global family of interoperable technologies that shares trusted, standardized messages about position, motion, signal status, road hazards, and vulnerable road users. While technical frameworks differ between regions, the goal is the same: improving awareness and coordination for all road users.
By extending awareness beyond line of sight, V2X helps road users detect what is happening earlier, coordinate better, and respond more smoothly. This can make interactions on the road feel more predictable, connected, and reassuring across the whole journey.Two Communication Paths
Direct communication connects nearby road users and infrastructure directly, making it possible to share information within the immediate traffic environment. It is especially useful for use cases that benefit from short-range exchange and interactions without relying on the mobile network.
Network communication connects road users and infrastructure through the mobile network and digital services, enabling information to be shared over a broader area and integrated with backend systems and digital road infrastructure. It is especially useful when information needs to be distributed beyond the local surroundings or connected with wider mobility services.
Together, both communication paths make V2X flexible and scalable. A key part of this hybrid approach is that information does not only flow one way: data can move from road users and infrastructure to digital services and back again, supporting both immediate local interactions and broader connected services.
V2X works by exchanging structured messages between road users and infrastructure. These messages can travel through two complementary communication paths: direct communication for nearby interactions and network communication for broader, mobile-network-based connectivity. Which path is used depends on the use case and the required responsiveness.
V2X is built on standardized message families that differ by region but serve similar purposes. In general, these messages help road users and infrastructure share information about position, movement, signal status, road conditions, and relevant events in the surrounding environment. The result is a more connected view of what is happening on the road, beyond what can be seen with cameras, radar, or human sight alone.
In Europe, V2X deployments are commonly associated with ETSI ITS and C-ITS standards. These systems support a range of message types that help vehicles, bicycles, and infrastructure exchange information efficiently and consistently.
In the United States, V2X deployments commonly use SAE J2735 message sets. These message families serve similar functional roles, even though the terminology differs from Europe.
Across both regions, V2X can be implemented through either short-range direct communication or long-range network communication. Short-range communication enables low-latency exchange over the ITS band in the 5.9 GHz licence-free spectrum and is widely available, unlike mobile network coverage, which depends on the cellular infrastructure in a given area. Long-range communication uses cellular networks and backend connectivity to extend reach, aggregate data, and support broader services. Together, these two modes provide the foundation for timely, reliable, and context-aware communication between road users and infrastructure.
Typical use cases include vehicle-to-bike awareness, cyclist presence warnings, road hazard alerts, roadworks information, basic intersection awareness, and signal phase information. In Europe these services are often associated with CAM, DENM, SPAT, and MAP, while in the United States similar functions are supported through BSM, SPaT, MAP, TIM, and related safety messages.
Typical use cases include cooperative intersection assistance, trajectory-based collision prediction, infrastructure-assisted crossing support, and richer interactions between vehicles and vulnerable road users. These services require broader deployment, stronger interoperability, and more mature implementation across vehicles, infrastructure, and devices.
This includes highly coordinated safety systems, deeper infrastructure integration, advanced support for automated driving functions, and large-scale traffic management that includes cyclists and other vulnerable road users as active participants in the connected safety ecosystem.
V2X reaches its full safety potential only when a critical mass of vehicles, infrastructure, and road users is connected. That creates a clear adoption challenge: the first customer pays before the full safety benefit is visible, while the last customer receives the largest gain.
To scale V2X, the value proposition must work on two levels at the same time. Early deployments need to deliver immediate, tangible benefits to the paying customer, while the broader system is designed so that safety benefits increase as deployment grows.
Infrastructure installations play a central role in bridging this gap. Roadside units, signal integration, and corridor-based deployments can create early value through better signal timing information, intersection awareness, priority handling, and added support at busy or complex locations. These use cases give municipalities, fleets, and infrastructure operators a reason to invest before full market penetration is reached.
The scaling strategy connects three things:
In this model, infrastructure is not just a technical enabler. It is also a way to create the first proof of value, build trust, and accelerate the transition from pilot projects to real-world deployment.
A strong example is V2Xperience in Helmond. It shows how infrastructure-led deployment can make V2X tangible in practice, create early user benefits, and demonstrate how local installations can support the path toward broader safety at scale.
The Coalition for Cyclist Safety brings together leading experts across sectors. Cross-sector collaboration is not optional, it is the only path to getting V2X technology deployed at scale. Your organization's expertise is needed to make safer roads a reality.
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