A vehicular ad hoc network (VANET) is a proposed type of mobile ad hoc network (MANET) involving road vehicles. VANETs were first proposed in 2001 as "car-to-car ad-hoc mobile communication and networking" applications, where networks could be formed and information could be relayed among cars. It has been shown that vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-roadside communications architectures could co-exist in VANETs to provide road safety, navigation, and other roadside services. VANETs could be a key part of the intelligent transportation systems (ITS) framework. Sometimes, VANETs are referred to as Intelligent Transportation Networks. They could evolve into a broader "Internet of vehicles". which itself could evolve into an "Internet of autonomous vehicles".