SAN FRANCISCO — While Bluetooth is starting to be used within cars to connect phones and other devices such as music players to automotive systems, it isn't an adequate technology for the next big advancement in cars: auto-to-auto communications, according to Information Week magazine. That's the word in a report released on May 4 by market research firm ABI Research. "The automotive industry regards Bluetooth as an acceptable compromise because users get their network connectivity, while automakers do not have to deal with installing costly cellular radios, or the hassles of managing customer accounts or dealing with wireless carriers" ABI Research senior analyst, Dan Benjamin said in a statement. Automakers have started installing Bluetooth equipment, such as handsfree kits in cars but that won't adequately handle car-to-car communications, which the research firm said will be a core part of the next generation of safety and telematics systems. Such technology would include collision avoidance systems and possibly intelligent traffic systems, the report said. Such systems will require a combination of what the report calls Dedicated Short Range Communications (DSRC), which is based on 802.11, and RFID. Such systems would enable vehicles to broadcast data such as their location, identification and even enable in-car Internet access, the report said.