This paper briefly describes how a Field
Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is being used in
a communication system whose main goal is to
improve road safety. This is accomplished by
enabling each vehicle to communicate with
surrounding vehicles and with fixed road side units.
When an unexpected situation occurs, automatically
a warning message is sent to the vehicles
approaching the accident area and to the highway
operator so it can call the emergency services.
The communication system, partially described
here, is based on the standard IEEE 802.11p and is
a vehicular communication system that uses the
5.9GHz band for Dedicated Short Range
Communications (DSRC).