Cars have drastically evolved since their inception. The earliest vehicles were large and clunky machines, but today's cars are sleeker and more advanced. These changes have also given away to an evolution in automotive safety. 

For years, features like seat belts and airbags were considered innovations in automotive safety technology. Some drivers today might remember a time when cars didn't have seat belts, or they only went across your lap. Early airbags had to be reengineered to prevent them from injuring or killing people when deployed. 

Backup cameras were among the most recent breakthroughs in vehicle safety technology. Initially, they showed drivers what was directly behind their cars. Now, they provide a wider view and have been mandatory in all new cars since May 1, 2018.

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These advancements in automotive technology have saved countless lives. NHTSA "estimates that vehicle safety developments helped raise the annual number of lives saved from 115 in 1960 to 27,621 in 2012. Cumulatively, these improved safety technologies saved over 600,000 lives between 1960 and 2012."

Cars themselves are rapidly advancing alongside automotive safety technology. In fact, new vehicles today are often referred to as connected vehicles — and they are on the path to revolutionizing roadway safety. 

Roads are becoming increasingly more dangerous 

While there are numerous benefits to advanced cars and technology, they also make roads more dangerous for drivers. People always have their cell phones nearby in the car, which means the temptation to scroll through texts and social media is ever-present.  

Gear shifts have become more intricate and distracting. Some vehicles boast sound-deadening underbody shields or installing active noise-cancellation solutions that make it difficult to hear emergency vehicle sirens. 

The more distractions drivers face, the greater the risk of injury and death for all roadway users. No driver actively thinks they’re operating their vehicle unsafely or that they might hit a first responder or roadway worker. However, those who work on the road are acutely aware of these dangers. Every year, tens of thousands of collisions occur between civilian drivers and police or fire vehicles. Those collisions result in tragic consequences for all involved parties. 

These collisions are also costly. The Federal Highway Administration (FHA) calculates that the average cost of a fatal collision involving a regular citizen is $11.2 million. This includes the cost of emergency services, medical services, lost wages and fringe benefits, household productivity loss, insurance processing, workplace costs, legal costs, and congestion impacts.

While a human life is undoubtedly worth more than an emergency vehicle, incidents like these have ripple effects. For instance, replacing just one fire truck could cost a community millions. Draining resources to repair that truck leads to fewer emergency vehicles on the road, compromising community safety. This dangerous cycle demonstrates that both civilians and emergency personnel deserve better.

Slow Down, Move Over laws were created to help mitigate the risks associated with distracted and negligent driving. These laws require drivers to slow down and move over to allow safe clearance to emergency personnel, roadside workers, and other incidents and hazards on the road. Every state has implemented some form of Move Over laws between 2001 - 2012. 

States are continuing to improve Move Over laws to make them more effective, including expansions like  increased fines, and harsher penalties, stronger efforts in community education, and broader definitions for the vehicles and incidents that drivers should slow down and move over for.

However, challenges still persist. These are discrepancies state-to-state that create an uncertain and sometimes chaotic environment for emergency responders and the motoring public.

But connected vehicles offer a solution for this challenge. Compatible connected vehicles are able to receive life-saving digital alerts. Digital alert systems are a crucial part of connected vehicle safety and have the power to better protect all roadway users.

What are connected vehicles?

Connected vehicles are capable of connecting over wireless networks with  nearby devices. As Digi says, connected cars, trucks, buses, and other vehicles “talk” to each other with in-vehicle or aftermarket devices that continuously share important safety and mobility information with each other. 

They can use wireless communication to “talk” to traffic signals, work zones, toll booths, school zones, and other infrastructure. As Digi says, "the vehicle information communicated is anonymous, so vehicles cannot be tracked and the system is secure against tampering." All of this communication is powered by vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.

V2X refers to the ability for a vehicle to communicate with the world around it. Vehicles send and receive data with things on the road that they encounter with help from this technology. Cars connected through V2X become part of an interactive network that includes other vehicles (V2V), infrastructure (V2I), pedestrians (V2P), and other network connections (V2N). 

V2X is the automotive technology of the future 

V2X technology provides connected vehicles with real-time information that can unlock completely new capabilities, functions, and solutions for all roadway users. Most vehicles today come with some form of connectivity. That means they come standard with some level of V2X communication.

V2X has the power to drastically transform roadway safety. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) predicts that this technology has the potential to reduce crashes in the US by 615,000 a year. V2X offers the following invaluable benefits to all roadway users:

• Improved safety: NHTSA predicts that V2X has the potential to address around 80 percent of crashes involving non-impaired drivers. Drivers are able to be alerted to imminent crash situations. Connected vehicles can communicate with roadside infrastructure, meaning they can be alerted to upcoming school zones or if a traffic light is about to change.
• Improved mobility: In 2022, the average U.S. motorist spent 51 hours sitting in traffic. Connected vehicle technology like V2X enables drivers and transportation system operators to make smart choices to reduce travel delay. It has the potential to help travelers have a realistic idea of when transit vehicles will arrive, making public transportation more appealing and efficient. 
• Improved environment: V2X gives drivers real-time information that empower them to make eco-friendly transportation choices. Real-time information about traffic conditions can help motorists eliminate unnecessary stops, which will give vehicles the chance to reach optimal fuel-efficiency. 

The U.S. Department of Transportation recognizes the power of V2X as well. In August of 2024, it unveiled its revised plan for V2X deployment, which has generated significant excitement in the automotive V2X technology community, despite ongoing challenges like public awareness, funding, and unresolved FCC regulations. 

The most noteworthy development is the introduction of "networked V2X," which leverages conventional mobile networks to allow vehicles to send and receive messages, in addition to the traditional direct V2X method where vehicles exchange data through in-vehicle or aftermarket devices. The acceptance of networked V2X by the USDOT represents a revolutionary shift in vehicle safety connectivity, recognizing the role of cellular networks in keeping drivers safe. 

Connected vehicle technology gets more roadway users home safely

Thanks to the power of V2X, connected vehicles are on the rise. This demand is changing the way that automakers look at cars. Previously, they would focus on the mechanical components of cars. Now the focus has shifted to modern requirements like on-board systems, flexible connectivity, and infotainment. 

That shift is because connected cars offer drivers the opportunity to bring their own world inside their vehicle. People are actually changing cars because they want more connectivity to enjoy the luxuries of day-to-day life. With a connected vehicle, drivers can stream music and podcasts through pre-loaded apps. 

Connected vehicles collect drivers' data in order to continually enhance the user experience. As HTEC says, a connected vehicle can "generate the most effective routes and enable consumers to avoid traffic jams and congested areas like streets under construction or busy streets which would ultimately save them a huge amount of time."

This also gives way a new revenue stream for automakers. They can collect user data that allows them to go beyond a point of sale and offer features that consumers really need, such as online service scheduling, predictive maintenance, remote diagnostics, and most importantly — improved safety features.

Connected vehicles lead to safer and more connected roads 

HTEC states that "by 2030, about 95 percent of new vehicles sold globally will be connected, up from around 50 percent today." Automotive technology will follow suit. Consumers can expect to see a number of exciting, infotainment opportunities come with this change, such as the ability for a driver to add their personal profile to services like Apple CarPlay in their vehicle.

More importantly, there will likely be some exciting and important telematics and infrastructure changes hitting the market. Telematics technology connects the car to the cloud, which is how it can gather and share relevant driver data and car functionality. 

That gives car manufacturers a better idea of car performance, driver behavior, and ideas for how a connected car can empower a driver to make smarter decisions. This data can also provide dealerships with data on things like tire pressure and engine performance so they can provide smart maintenance and remote vehicle diagnostics. 

More connected vehicles and infrastructure will build a bridge between cars and their environment. With more cars connected to their surroundings, the more that will be able to perceive the presence of pedestrians, traffic lights, and emergency vehicles on the road. This connectivity is key for the future of a more efficient and safer transportation system.  Currently, there is one technology application that is making all of this possible — safety alerts.

Safety alerts are the future of connected vehicle safety 

A safety alert, also known as a digital alert, is any kind of electronic notification sent directly to drivers. At HAAS Alert, we leverage this technology to send notifications that protect all roadway users through Safety Cloud® digital alerting. 

Things on the road may be more connected through V2X technology, but the overall road network is very disconnected from each other. Safety Cloud is an important part of the connected transportation network by fostering an ecosystem of real time communication between things on the roadway. The more vehicles and assets that join this network, the safer everyone will be on the road. 

Roadside workers and emergency personnel send out Safety Cloud digital alerts through select telematics and connectivity platforms. Or, they can use an easy-to-install device that integrates with any vehicle or apparatus. 

Drivers receive these alerts in lifesaving ways they cannot miss to improve their situational awareness. Drivers who use leading navigation apps, such as Waze, receive alerts if there is a Safety Cloud-equipped vehicle nearby or approaching them. 

Drivers of compatible Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles (models 2018 and newer) will also receive Safety Cloud digital alerts through Stellantis' Emergency Vehicle Alert System. If an emergency vehicle is nearby, the driver will receive an audible and visual alert directly in their vehicle's infotainment center. Drivers of 2024 and newer Volkswagen vehicles also receive Safety Cloud alerts. At the time of writing, Mercedes-Benz drivers who opt in can get Safety Cloud alerts through its Emergency Vehicle Alert Beta Program. 

Digital alerts have proven results 

Experts in the field have studied the effectiveness of digital alert systems. The results speak for themselves — this advanced warning technology can help to reduce collisions and get drivers to slow down and move over.

For example, in 2013, the University of Minnesota conducted a study to test the effectiveness of digital alerting. Results found that when a driver receives advanced warning of an emergency vehicle, there is a 90 percent reduction in the likelihood of collision between those two vehicles. 

Purdue University published a study in 2021 to measure the impact of digital alerting-equipped queue warning trucks on hard-braking events. The researchers’ goal was to discover if warning drivers of upcoming work zones earlier through digital alerting would reduce hard braking events on highways. 

After 3 months of research and 370 hours worth of observation, the study determined that queue trucks with digital alerting decreased hard braking events by 80 percent. This research goes to show that when drivers receive advanced warning from digital alerting systems, they'll have more than enough time to move over and prevent near misses.

In 2022, 5,837 large trucks were involved in a fatal crash. Speeding and driver inattention are major contributing factors to collisions like these. This underscores the ongoing concern that, despite advancements in automotive safety, preventable collisions like these remain a significant and growing issue.

In response to this concern, researchers from Purdue University conducted a study to evaluate the effectiveness of in-cab alerts in influencing truck drivers’ speed behavior. Their research focused on how commercial vehicle drivers responded to alerts about dangerous slowdowns and congestion on Ohio's highways.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of dangerous slowdowns and congestion alerts  on driver behavior. Download your copy now to gain insight into how digital alert systems influence driver behavior and enhance safety.

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