Verizon has announced that its 5G Ultra Wideband network is now live at the University of Michigan’s test bed for driverless cars, the Mcity Test Facility.

Verizon is testing a variety of 5G technologies that could potentially enhance pedestrian safety and help avoid car accidents. This includes installing 5G-connected cameras at every intersection inside the Mcity test track to prevent collisions by helping identify traffic and pedestrian patterns.

Verizon notes that even though connected cars have sensors that can communicate with each other to help avoid accidents, there is an added layer of protection when cameras are connected to traffic light signals, which helps protect people walking or biking.

“We’ve installed signal controllers at the intersections within Mcity that provide signal phase and timing data to the 5G network,” says Eric Raamot, chief technology officer at Econolite.

“With 5G, we can help drivers see things before the human eye can register, and prevent collisions by changing the traffic signals when a safety risk is imminent.”

According to Verizon, 5G service includes a number of components that can help improve safety, including its high bandwidth, low latency and the ability to connect hundreds of devices in a relatively small area. The company explains that “if each vehicle passing through an intersection is able to relay and receive information from other vehicles and streetlight cameras, that information can be used to notify cars when lights turn red or vehicles ahead come to a sudden stop.” All of that data can be transmitted “faster than the blink of an eye,” Verizon says, using the company’s 5G Ultra Wideband network, which would allow autonomous vehicles to react faster than humans when it comes to braking to avoid a collision.

Verizon believes that it can help reduce the number of traffic fatalities per year by using 5G to help remove humans from the driving process with self-driving vehicles. Equipped with “massive bandwidth, super-fast speeds and ultra-low latency,” Verizon’s 5G Ultra Wideband network can provide the “backbone for autonomous vehicles,” the company says, as it helps them better communicate with other cars, traffic lights, pedestrians and emergency vehicles to avoid accidents.

“5G can change all of our lives by making our commutes a lot easier and safer,” says Tami Erwin, executive vice president and CEO of Verizon Business Group.

“Cars can communicate with each other in near real-time and with sensors installed in streets and traffic lights. They’ll be able to almost instantly share information on roadway and weather conditions and alert you to dangerous situations ahead.”