Abstract
Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks (VANETs) are seen as the key enabling technology of Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS). In addition to safety, VANETs also provide a cost-effective platform for numerous comfort and entertainment applications. A pragmatic solution of VANETs requires synergistic efforts in multidisciplinary areas of communication standards, routings, security and trust. Furthermore, a realistic VANET simulator is required for performance evaluation. There have been many research efforts in these areas, and consequently, a number of surveys have been published on various aspects. In this article, we first explain the key characteristics of VANETs, then provide a meta-survey of research works. We take a tutorial approach to introducing VANETs and gradually discuss intricate details. Extensive listings of existing surveys and research projects have been provided to assess development efforts. The article is useful for researchers to look at the big picture and channel their efforts in an effective way.