Selection of Routing Protocols in VANETs under Varying Node Density, Speed, and Transmission Power for Sustainable Impacts

To improve road safety in the future, Vehicular Ad-Hoc Networks (VANETs) can play a transformative role, contributing not only to safer transportation but also to more sustainable urban mobility. The effectiveness of these networks depends on developing robust routing protocols that enable smooth vehicle-to-vehicle communication, while minimizing energy consumption and reducing the environmental impact. A major hurdle is finding routing protocols that meet specific transmission needs and can adapt to dynamic, ever-changing topologies while ensuring stable and reliable performance. This paper conducts a comparison and analysis of multiple routing protocols: AODV, OLSR, DSDV, and DSR. The evaluation is based on simulations conducted with varying numbers of nodes (vehicles), different speeds, and varying transmission power, assuming different scenarios of VANET such as sparse networks, highways, and urban environments using the random waypoint mobility model in the NS3 Simulator. The analysis focuses on several performance metrics, including throughput, packet delivery ratio (PDR), average end to end (E2E) delay, and routing overhead (ROH). The simulation results aim to recommend the most suitable routing protocol for different scenarios in VANET.