Czech researchers develop safe method to stop fleeing vehicles
Pursuits involving fleeing vehicles pose a persistent challenge for law enforcement officials across Europe. Traditional methods used to disable or stop fleeing vehicles, such as spike strips or physical ramming, often carry significant risks to public safety, the pursued driver, and police officers themselves. In response to this long-standing issue, Czech researchers have now developed a safer, non-destructive alternative.
The system, jointly developed by the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT) and the Brno University of Technology (VUT) allows law enforcement officers to remotely disable or slow down a targeted vehicle using secure digital communication. It was unveiled to the public for the first time this week at a police training facility in the Vysočina Region, and the demonstration attracted a big crowd of onlookers.
At the core of the innovation lies the ITS-G5 communication protocol, an international standard enabling data exchange between vehicles (V2V) and between vehicles and road infrastructure (V2I). The system equips police vehicles with a user-friendly interface: officers can identify a specific vehicle on a digital map and send a command directly from a tablet screen. The system can then remotely cut off the fuel supply or activate the vehicle’s electronic braking mechanism.
Jan Pospíšil, a lead researcher from the Czech Technical University in Prague, demonstrated the system’s effectiveness for Czech Radio:
"I can see all vehicles equipped with the system. I select the correct one based on its position, issue the stop command, and within a second, the car begins braking on its own –and there is nothing the driver can do about it."
According to current estimates, around 150,000 vehicles in the Czech Republic are equipped to support this technology, as are approximately one million across Europe. These figures suggest considerable potential for broader implementation, particularly in urban environments or border regions where high-speed pursuits are especially hazardous. Moreover, in a growing number of cases police in Czechia chase drunk drivers or drivers on drugs. In many such cases the chase ends with the driver crashing, hurting themselves or damaging property.
The Czech police force has expressed great interest in the technology, but Deputy Police President David Fulka says the system’s deployment on a larger scale still faces several obstacles.
“The biggest obstacle right now is the need to amend the law so as to enable remote vehicle intervention and it will be equally important to get the public behind the idea. We need to win public trust for the system, to make people realize that this will work to their advantage and improve road safety.”
With a proper legal framework and industry support, the technology could soon become a standard tool in the arsenal of the Czech police force and also possibly that of other European states.
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