Patent ID: 8907814

Claim:
A traffic information communication system comprising: a receiver configured to receive a message relating to traffic conditions along a thoroughfare from a communication node, wherein the message is received in a single wireless carrier wave; a processor configured to determine: that the message is an urgent message or a non-urgent message; and from the single wireless carrier wave at least one of a speed of the communication node and a distance between the traffic information communication system and the communication node; a transmitter communicatively coupled to the receiver and configured to rebroadcast the message within a predetermined amount of time after receiving the message, wherein: when the message is a non-urgent message, the transmitter is configured to rebroadcast the message at a default transmission power that indicates the message is a non-urgent message and/or using a resource block from a first set of resource blocks reserved for non-urgent messages; when the message is an urgent message, the transmitter is configured to rebroadcast the message at an initial transmission power that is greater than the default transmission power and that indicates the message is an urgent message and/or using a resource block from a second set of resource blocks reserved for urgent messages; and the traffic information communication system is implemented in a vehicle traveling along the thoroughfare; and a sensor installed in the vehicle and configured to detect a trigger, wherein the transmitter is further configured to generate and broadcast a warning message relating to a potential safety threat to other vehicles in response to detecting the trigger, wherein at least one of: the sensor comprises a brake sensor configured to detect emergent braking in the vehicle; or the sensor comprises a component sensor configured to detect failure of a particular vehicle component in the vehicle.