South Korea launched testing to verify the effectiveness of its new vehicle-crash avoidance technology, the government said Tuesday, in a step toward building accident-free highways.

The accident avoidance system uses the so-called wireless access in vehicular environment technology that enables vehicle-to-vehicle as well as vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, allowing checks for any changes to the driving environment such as road conditions, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport.

The system also uses closed circuit TV cameras that can automatically detect any fallen objects on the road. Such information is transmitted to each vehicle in the vicinity to warn the drivers of possible hazards.

The WAVE technology also monitors conditions of other vehicles within a 500-meter radius, which can be used to warn drivers of any possible hazards if a car ahead makes a sudden stop. (Yonhap)