Slideshow: Smarter Cars Paving Road to Intelligent Highways

Experts say that the intelligent highway will save more lives than seat belts, airbags, and electronic stability control. For sheer lifesaving capacity, nothing in the history of the auto industry will come close to it.

The reason for the superlatives around the technology is simple: Vehicle infrastructure integration (VII), as it's known, will allow cars to talk to one another, as well as to traffic lights and stop signs. It will enable them to communicate with municipalities, government agencies, car dealerships, and traffic control centers.

As a result, cars won't collide. They'll "know" when to slow down, when to turn, and when it's safe to enter an intersection. They'll prevent drivers from making dangerous lane changes and enable them to head-off multi-car crashes.