New Delhi, Aug. 5 -- Indian roads are among the world's most hazardous. Trucks, buses and cars jostle for space with motorcycles and three-wheelers that swerve without warning. Motorists must stay alert to wandering livestock, traffic-dodging pedestrians and bewildering street layouts. The result: an average of 502 people die on our roads every day.

Against this backdrop, the Centre's proposal of vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication from next October makes sense. Until now, road safety has largely focused on protecting crash victims with airbags, anti-lock braking systems and vehicular design. V2V would mark a shift from collision survival to prevention.

Under the proposed AIS-230 standard, suitably equipped vehicles will transmit the...