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In this paper, we illustrate the design of a cross-layered MAC and clustering solution for supporting the fast propagation of broadcast messages in a Vehicular Ad Hoc Network (VANET). A distributed dynamic clustering algorithm is proposed to create a dynamic virtual backbone in the vehicular network. The vehicle-members of the backbone are responsible for implementing an efficient messages propagation. The backbone creation and maintenance are proactively performed aiming to balance the stability of backbone connections as well as the cost/efficiency trade-off and the hops-reduction when forwarding broadcast messages. A fast multi-hop MAC forwarding mechanism is defined to exploit the role of backbone vehicles, under a cross-layered approach. Simulation results show the effectiveness of the mutual support of proactive clustering and MAC protocols for efficient dissemination of broadcast messages in …