Ford Motor Corporation is developing new systems that would allow cars to communicate with traffic lights and each other in an intersection in order to improve road safety.

This so-called V2X technology, that enables vehicles to talk to one another and to road infrastructure such as traffic lights, is gaining currency in the auto industry and among safety analysts.

It has great potential in scenarios such as a car approaching an intersection at 30 mph with a green traffic light ahead at the same time a vehicle on the cross street is about to run a red light.

Consumer Reports plans to feature the technology in its annual auto issue, to be published Feb. 28.

The magazine has sent its editors to Silicon Valley and to a special Ford proving ground in Dearborn, Mich., to look at how cars might talk to one another in transit and improve safety.

"In a typical car, you would enter the intersection and most likely be slammed in the side by the other vehicle, which could seriously injure or even kill you. But in this car, a prominent red warning light flashes on the dash and an alarm blares, giving you time to hit the brakes before entering the danger zone," according to Consumer Reports.

However, implementing V2X, or connected-vehicle, technology on a mass scale is years away, according to the magazine.

It must also overcome concerns about privacy and cyber security, but even so, it's likely to be adopted, and that should improve road safety.

"These systems are being aggressively developed because they could be the next big safety breakthrough," the LA Times quoted Rik Paul, Consumer Reports' automotive editor, as saying.

"But adequate oversight of how the information is used is essential to ensure the privacy of drivers and to prevent abuse," Paul added.