A new system is undergoing trials, one that may soon tell truck drivers what is around the corner or over the hill.

Transport for NSW is embarking on a large-scale trial of technology give drivers a heads up on potential risks along the road.

The project will test Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems (C-ITS) technology in the hope of reducing accidents across the state.

Cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems allow drivers to transmit and receive warnings about road hazards up to 1km ahead. The entire system is updated every ten seconds.

“The technology itself effectively gives drivers and vehicles X-ray vision so that they can, for example, see what is happening around a corner or over the crest of a hill where there may be a crash or a vehicle that has broken down,” NSW Centre for Road Safety’s John Wall said in an interview with The Australian.

“They will receive information and they will know about that way before they can actually see that there is a problem ahead and they can start to take evasive action early.”

Transport authorities have launched the five-year CITI trial program after receiving 95 MK4 anti-collision devices from Adelaide-based company Cohda Wireless.

Ausroads analyses suggest between 25 and 35 per cent of road casualties could be reduced with C-ITS technology.

The laboratory will be the roads in and out of Port Kembla, which see a constant flow of heavy vehicles servicing one of Australia’s busiest ports.

Stage one will have 30 heavy vehicles fitted with the wireless devices. They will all operate on a 42km route from Port Kembla to the Hume Highway.

A dedicated frequency of 5.9 GHz will carry data such as vehicle position, direction and speed between the CITS-equipped vehicles and similarly high-tech sets of traffic lights.

The technology assists drivers by giving warnings for imminent collisions with nearby C-ITS vehicles; current speed limits; potential red-light violations; local road conditions, such as roadworks, fog and flood; and approaching emergency vehicles.

Cohda Wireless will out 85 trucks and 10 sets of traffic lights with C-ITS gear and software applications, to enable both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications.

Transport for NSW says it is currently talking to truck operators interested in getting involved.

“Cooperative-ITS gives us the ability to see things that we can’t see today,” the transport authority’s road safety technology manager Mr Wall said.

“Even the very smart sensors and cameras that we have got on our cars at the moment generally only work in terms of line of sight.”

“This is the first major trial of Cohda products in trucks,” Cohda Wireless chief executive officer Paul Gray said.

“This trial will allow Cohda to refine our products for the important trucking market, and how best to improve safety and traffic flow for trucks.

“There can be immediate safety and traffic flow benefits for the trucking industry, and this will only improve as the technology becomes prevalent in light vehicles,” he said.