Present day cars include a ton of features for safety like airbags, ABS, ESP, to name a few. All these are electronically controlled as they receive their signals from the external environment through various sensors placed on the body, for example cameras, lasers, proximity sensors, etc. The idea is to give some degree of autonomy to the automobile to think for its own when put into some situation and act accordingly.
The main intention is to provide means of communication between cars with adequate levels of safety equipment so that the intended function is performed effectively during an accident. It is basically a computer that receives data from the surroundings through the sensors and directs the sub systems in the car to do the necessary tasks and communicate amongst other cars involved regarding the same. The CCC's hardware will be universal and could be attached to any car with the basic set of safety features and allied sensors. It requires sensors with a large scan area all around the car along with a camera for effective operation. Intercommunication is facilitated by means of Wi-Fi. The CCC scans for cars continuously in its scan area. For example, during the course of an accident, the CCC in the cars involved will try to route an unobstructed path with the help of the front camera and laser sensors.
These routes are intercommunicated so that they do not clash. The brakes will be actuated and the cars will steer according to the routes designed by the respective CCC's and try to avoid the accident (limits being the road boundaries). All other safety systems also perform their intended functions simultaneously. Furthermore, an on-board memory would facilitate storage of information like intensity of braking needed when confronted against vehicles approaching at different speeds and in different weather conditions. Thus the system keeps evolving based on the information it receives and it would be more ready to face situations in future.
In cities the safe distance can be programmed to 2 meters and on highways depending on the speed of the vehicle. In heavily crowded cities and highways (as in Asian countries) it could be very efficient. For example if the driver wants to perform an overtake maneuver, the car in front would assist by providing a signal to the car behind to overtake, which is based on what information it retrieves from the environment or from the car in front of it. This could reduce the possibility of an accident due to blindspots. Also at night auto dimming of lights for oncoming vehicles is an added benefit.
The strength requirements of the car can drastically reduce, resulting in a very light construction, thus the cost as well as material consumption is reduced. This could lead to a whole new era of car designs which need just bare minimum strength requirements, in-turn reducing weight and achieving increased efficiency.
Therefore the CCC could possibly change the way of commuting by offering increased levels of safety and most importantly saving human life.