listen they transmit very powerful ionizing radiation in all directions, hence the term tinfoil hat to be protected from this radiation
Lets start with...Radio waves are non-ionizing radiation....just like your favorite FM/TV over the air station.
Smart Meters have a small computer inside them. they have a modem that sends a radio signal similar to WIFI at 902 MHz, or 2.4 GHz.
When a smart meter is installed. It sends a signal to your neighbors smart meters...The computers "figure out" a pecking order with each other...
Near the edge of the subdivision is probably a flat plate antenna...The meters find which meter is closest to the antenna. When it comes to communicating with the power company, a meter will "talk" to the next meter in the pecking order...which will talk to the next one in line...on down the pecking order until the one that talks to the main antenna inputs the data to the power company.
Of course, this can be done both ways with the power company sending commands down to an individual meter in a neighborhood.
Self driving cars will be similar...cars will talk to other cars within say a hundred yard radius...
They will make informed decisions about driving because they will know what other cars in their radius are doing, their destination, and so forth.