DEEP: Density-Aware Emergency Message Extension Protocol for VANETs

With the rapid developments in vehicular communication technology, academics and industry researchers are paying increasing attention to vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs). In VANETs, dissemination delay and reliability are important criteria for many applications, especially for emergency messages. Existing approaches have difficulty satisfying both requirements simultaneously because they conflict with one another. In this paper, we propose a novel mechanism, called the Density-aware Emergency message Extension Protocol (DEEP) to disseminate emergency messages in VANETs. DEEP resolves the broadcast storm problem, achieves low dissemination delay, and provides high reliability over a realistic multi-lane freeway scenario. The mechanism delivers emergency messages to a specific area (e.g., the area before the exit) in a timely manner and guarantees that all relevant vehicles in that area will receive the messages. Drivers can then change their routes and avoid getting caught in a traffic jam. Performance evaluations via NS-2 simulations demonstrate that DEEP achieves both lower dissemination delay and higher reliability than existing approaches.