The car system that tells you when you're going to crash

A dashboard device that alerts drivers to an impending accident has been unveiled.

The system allows cars to communicate with each other at distances of up to 300 yards - even around corners.

It sounds the alarm if two vehicles are on collision course, allowing the driver to take evasive action.

General Motors, which developed the system, has showed Transport Department officials how it worked.

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The V2V - 'vehicle to vehicle' - technology uses satellite navigation data to plot the precise location of a car.

That information is relayed by a wireless network to other cars within range, triggering a warning if those vehicles get too close for comfort.

Homes and businesses already use wireless technology to connect to the Internet without cables.

General Motors said the system could reduce the number of rear-end shunts and make 'blind spots' a thing of the past.

The device warns drivers of danger with sounds, flashing lights and vibrations in the seat. It can also be programmed to start braking. The driver will, however, remain in overall control of the vehicle.

General Motors, which owns Vauxhall, Opel, Saab, Cadillac and Chevrolet, said the system would cost only £125 a car and was already fully operational.

However the company said it would be six years before the technology could be fitted into cars coming off its production lines.

Andrew Marshall, of Vauxhall, said the safety system gave the cars a sixth sense. 'The car looks around and asks itself "where am I?" and "Where is everybody else?" It gets its answers via wi-fi, just like millions of computer users', he said.

'A warning system minimises the danger of a driver overlooking another vehicle in their car's blind spot.

'It can also help prevent the rearend collisions that occur daily due to poor visibility, twisty roads or short lapses in driver concentration.

'The system warns of a stationary vehicle on the road even before the driver behind can see it - for example around a corner.

'Or it alerts the following traffic of a car making an emergency stop.'

Road safety experts were also invited to the launch event at the motor industry's test track in Millbrook, Bedfordshire.

They saw the safety device at work in a Vauxhall Signum, a Saab 9-3 estate, a Chevrolet Epica and a Cadillac CTS.

The German government has invested £36million in a V2V trial of 500,000 cars in Frankfurt. Mr Marshall added: 'We have deliberately based this technology on inexpensive, proven components, giving it the potential to become standard equipment in many vehicles.

'Our systems are very affordable and could potentially be used in every vehicle class.'

The software is secure against computer hackers to prevent any attempt to cause mayhem on the roads.