Wireless technology that allows drivers to dodge traffic jams, report potholes and road hazards, and pay for a drive-through meal without ever touching a wallet is coming to a car near you. But don't hold your breath.

The age of Vehicle Infrastructure Integration -- known as VII and defined simply as cars that "talk" to each other and to roadside units via cellular, wifi, satellite and other technology -- is an evolutionary step comparable to the creation of the interstate highway system 50 years ago, say experts. "The auto will inevitably become an integral component of the wireless ecosystem," says Steve Underwood, a researcher at the Ann Arbor, Mich.-based Center for Automotive Research, or CAR.

Some wireless services already exist -- such as OnStar, which offers services such as roadside and directional assistance and hands-free phoning, and entertainment options like the iPod and satellite radio. But that's just the tip of the iceberg of what's to come. Proponents of VII say once wireless technology becomes commonplace we'll see things like seat belts communicating with roadside traffic managers, engineers and others to make driving safer, more efficient, and more enjoyable.

"This is just too obvious not to happen," says Mike Freitas of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Wireless car technology has several applications:

• Safety. Despite rapid advances in passive safety technology such as seat belts and air bags, there are still some 42,000 people killed on U.S. highways each year. With wireless technology, cars would be equipped to avoid accidents. Currently, a single-car, bad-weather highway accident can turn into a pileup as other cars are able to stop in time. VII-equipped cars would sense cars slowing or stopping and warn the driver to slow down. Cars would effectively become data probes, gathering information on weather and road conditions -- for instance, a new pothole that's popped up -- and warn drivers as well as schedule road maintenance or repair. • Mobility: The average American spends a week a year stuck in traffic. Congestion costs the economy 10s of billions in lost productivity annually. Millions of gallons of $3-per-gallon gas are wasted, too. VII cars could direct drivers around traffic jams. The roadside half of the technology could manage traffic to eliminate congestion altogether by, for example, altering traffic light cycles to allow more or less traffic flow through an intersection as conditions warrant. • Commercial: Think personalized travel and route guidance, downloading movies on the road and checking your stock portfolio with cars connected to the Internet. All the applications will be synchronized to your home and mobile electronic gear, too, so the song you download in the car will also be available on your home PC.

It's the commercial applications that some at the conference said will keep the development of VII moving forward.  

"It will be the entertainment and lifestyle features that will integrate this," says Robert Wray, CEO of StreetDeck.com. Two SUVs featured dashboard-mounted touch screens that offered Internet access, navigational assistance, car performance and diagnostics, music and entertainment with the brush of a finger. A USB port replaced the cigarette lighter. The computer that ran it all was mounted in the trunk.