At this very moment, in communities across the country, a new chapter in connected vehicles is beginning.

From the largest cities to the smallest towns in all 50 states, drivers are starting to notice something new happening in their vehicles: an audible and visible warning, directly in their infotainment screen, of roadway hazards ahead. They're the same kind of hazards that drivers are used to slowing down and moving over for - fire crews and police officers, EMT's and tow trucks, work zones and other speciality vehicles - but now, for the first time ever, drivers are being warned of these hazards ahead of time by their actual vehicles, thanks to Safety Cloud®.

These warnings, called digital alerts, are delivered directly from alerting vehicles over cellular networks to approaching drivers. Digital alerts reduce collisions and improve road safety by giving drivers more time to slow down and move over for responders and other incidents that they encounter every day. They also represent the largest deployment of connected vehicle and V2X functionality in the United States.

For the public safety and roadway professionals that respond and work on the road, such as firefighters, police officers, tow truck drivers, and work zone crews, digital alerts are a breakthrough safety technology. Unlike other V2X technologies, digital alerting can be equipped directly to any alerting vehicle for instant protection, no matter its make, manufacturer, or age. As a result, thousands of public safety agencies, tow fleets, and infrastructure operators have added digital alerting to their vehicles. This year, thanks to the Infrastructure law, millions of dollars in dedicated federal funding will also become available to state highway safety offices, bringing digital alerting to even more state agencies and fleets.

In 2022, Stellantis - the automaker behind Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, RAM, and Alfa Romeo vehicles - became the first consumer vehicle manufacturer to add in-dash digital alerts from Safety Cloud to its 2018 and newer model year vehicles through a simple over-the-air update. As 2023 unfolds, millions more drivers will be equipped to experience the most advanced connected car experience available on the road, powered entirely by digital alerting. 

After years of false starts, stalled efforts, and countless preventable collisions, the connected car era is here.