Patent ID: 8494759

Claim:
An apparatus for assisting traffic control, the apparatus comprising: a vehicle unit, the vehicle unit including a transceiver, and being configured to be supported by a vehicle; a roadside unit, located proximate a highway portion, the roadside unit being in communication with the vehicle unit when the vehicle unit is located on the highway portion; and a traffic controller, in communication with the roadside unit, the traffic controller receiving vehicle speed data from the roadside unit, and operable to determining a suggested speed for the vehicle, the suggested speed being transmitted from the roadside unit to the vehicle unit, the vehicle unit being operable to convey the suggested speed to the driver; wherein the suggested speed being greater than, less than, or equal to the vehicle speed, the suggested speed being calculated so as to allow the vehicle to avoid encountering traffic congestion on the portion of highway ahead of the vehicle; and wherein the suggested speed is determined by a comparison of at least two of: a vehicle speed of the vehicle, vehicle speed of one or more traffic vehicles, and a posted speed limit.