This article was originally written by Frank Witsil of The Detroit Free Press

Motorists driving certain new car brands and those using Waze and Apple Map apps will soon start receiving real-time digital alerts on their in-car dash and mobile phones when Dearborn's police, fire, and public works vehicles are nearby.

"Think about the universe of things drivers have to slow down and move over for," Brock Aun, a vice president of the Chicago-based company selling the system, HAAS Alert, explained. "They have historically used lights and sirens to get people's attention."

But he added, "Those tools are less effective than ever: Drivers are distracted, cars are insulated and that's why we see such a high frequency of responder-road worker collisions, especially in Michigan."

Dearborn is one of the latest entities — among hundreds throughout the state — to add the system to its fleet of about 300 vehicles. The city, seeking to capitalize on the excitement of the ongoing Detroit Auto Show, touted the deal this week.

But more than a splashy bit of news for the Detroit suburb, which is home to Ford Motor's world headquarters, the announcement gives a glimpse into a future that tech companies have predicted, illustrating a world in which digital devices are constantly connected.

It also shows how automakers are increasingly integrating new technologies into vehicles.

Commercially known as Safety Cloud, the system highlights what many say is a rudimentary example of the so-called artificial intelligence and smart mobility that is on its way, but also increasingly raising questions about personal privacy and data security.

Boosting driver awareness

The City of Dearborn's announcement Tuesday, with a follow-up meeting Wednesday evening in Detroit, touted what officials described as an intense commitment to public safety.

The alert system can connect to new Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Volkswagen vehicles, as well as drivers using Apple Maps and Waze — which is owned by Google — navigation apps.

Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud promised in his announcement the new technology will "help prevent collisions" and "ensure our responders are arriving at their destination as quickly as possible."

"Our administration, he said, "is working around the clock to make our roads safer."

In addition to warning drivers on the road that an emergency vehicle is near, the Safety Cloud network can tell drivers about upcoming work zones and other potential road hazards to avoid, which, potentially may prevent crashes, injuries — and deaths.

For the first year, the system will cost Dearborn just over $25,000, the city said.

Dearborn claimed warnings boost "driver awareness of nearby hazards, which has been proven to reduce the risk of preventable collisions by 90%," but the city clarified that statistic only applied to certain types of crashes.

Moreover, HAAS Alert estimates that only about 25% to 30% of the drivers on the road are using the system, but expects that number to rise as automakers develop dashboard navigation systems.

But while many groups hope to use the system to save lives and reduce liability costs, there also are a growing number of concerns about the risks of using such technology on the roadways and in products, particularly when it comes to safeguarding information.

How the company started

HAAS Alert — which got its name as both an outdated acronym and homophone for one of the co-founder's surnames — got its start, according to company lore, in 2015 when CEO Cory Hohs was almost struck by an ambulance on the road.

As a result, Hohs realized the danger that first responders and roadside workers face, and it "became his life mission to put an end to these near misses and preventable collisions to get all roadway users home safely."

Since then, the private company has been quietly and quickly expanding, signing new deals, including some with the Detroit and Grand Rapids fire departments, and, within the past year opening a small office in Detroit to be closer to automakers.

And the four-words — Heedful Audible Alert System — that became HAAS was forgotten.

In many ways, its system also illustrates how what futurists call the "Internet of things" — the array of big and small digital devices built with sensors, software, and other tech constantly exchanging data through the Internet and other means — is developing.

Grand Rapids has outfitted dozens of fire, police, and emergency medical vehicles with transponders to address what the company said was "a dangerous rise in close calls on the road" and is now using it as a case study to help sell the system to other municipalities.

In November, the company said MedStar Ambulance was outfitting its fleet of vehicles with the emergency alert system. MedStar operates in a nine-county service area in southeast Michigan.

And last month, AAA Auto Club began offering an emergency feature using the system in Michigan and more than a dozen other states that takes note of car trouble and alerts other app users.

The club did not, however, address criticisms that using apps like Waze adds additional driving distractions and, while they may others to roadside trouble to help protect you, they also could make you more vulnerable.

Nationwide, Aun said, that the company has signed more than 4,000 agencies.

"But what's remarkable about Dearborn, is that it's a city-led deployment, rather than a fleet-led deployment," Aun said. "So they are operating on a wide variety of vehicles managed by the city, including both first responders and public works."