According to the World Health Organization, in 2013 nearly half of all fatalities in traffic crashes involved pedestrians, cyclists or people using motorized two-wheeled vehicles. Nearly 6,000 pedestrians died in the U.S. in 2016, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

Researchers at the University of Arizona have developed a Wi-Fi based assistive system for pedestrians in connected-vehicle environments, where wireless technology enables vehicles to communicate with each other, with infrastructure, and with others on the road.