Edge-intelligent safelink-V2X: A low-latency cooperative framework for real-time vulnerable road user protection.

Clinical Snapshot

Key Findings

• P Value: Not reported

• Effect Size: 91.4% relative reduction in simulated collision probability (best-case); 44% increase in situational awareness measures; 30% reduction in end-to-end alert latency

• Primary Outcome: Simulated collision probability reduction of up to 91.4% compared to baseline onboard-only and communication-only systems in urban intersection simulations

• Nnt Or Sensitivity: Not applicable — no NNT calculable from simulation data; sensitivity and specificity of the conflict prediction model not reported; false positive/negative rates absent

• Confidence Interval: Not reported

Clinical Application

Currently low feasibility for widespread deployment. Requires significant telecommunications infrastructure investment, vehicle fleet connectivity, smart intersection hardware, and VRU device adoption. No implementation pathway, cost modelling, or regulatory approval process is described. Australia has an active road safety agenda under the National Road Safety Strategy 2021–2030, with VRU fatalities representing a disproportionate share of road trauma. The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Department of Infrastructure are monitoring C-V2X spectrum allocation (5.9 GHz band), but no national deployment framework exists. The TGA has no direct regulatory role for road safety technology. RACGP and ACEM clinicians managing road trauma patients would have indirect interest in upstream prevention technologies of this type. However, this study provides insufficient evidence to inform any clinical guideline, policy recommendation, or procurement decision in the Australian context. Real-world Australian pilot data would be required before any health system or transport authority endorsement. Theoretically applicable to all VRUs (pedestrians, cyclists, e-scooter riders) in connected vehicle environments. Practically limited to settings with C-V2X or DSRC-enabled infrastructure and VRUs carrying compatible devices.

Abstract

The protection of Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs) remains a major challenge in modern transportation safety, as onboard line-of-sight and adverse weather conditions limit conventional onboard sensors. Existing systems that rely solely on vehicle-based sensing or on isolated communication struggle to provide timely, accurate alerts in dynamic urban environments. To address these shortcomings, this paper introduces SafeLink-V2X, a comprehensive Vehicle-to-Everything Cooperative Warning Framework designed to enhance safety for pedestrians, cyclists, and scooter riders. SafeLink-V2X employs Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) and Dedicated Short-Range Communications (DSRC) protocols to enable direct data exchange of location, velocity, and heading between connected vehicles, smart infrastructure, and VRUs via smartphones or wearable tags. By applying sensor fusion and machine learning-based conflict prediction, the system identifies potential collision points and issues real-time, context-aware warnings through vehicle HMIs and VRU devices, promoting immediate evasive action. Evaluation on urban intersection simulations (detailed in Section 5) demonstrates that SafeLink-V2X reduces simulated collision probability by up to 91.4%, increases situational awareness measures by 44%, and lowers end-to-end alert latency by 30% compared to baseline onboard-only and communication-only systems under the same conditions.

References

1. 1.Alanazi, F., Armghan, A., Al-Gburi, A. J. A., & Yousef, A. (2026). Edge-intelligent safelink-V2X: A low-latency cooperative framework for real-time vulnerable road user protection. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0353392