HAAS Alert launches cloud service to help vehicles using automated driving systems safely share the roadway with emergency vehicles and other incident responders

(March 12, 2024) - HAAS Alert announced today the launch of its Responder-to-Autonomous Vehicle (R2AV^TM) product powered by Safety Cloud^®, its cloud-based connected transportation platform that enables vehicles, infrastructure, equipment, and people using the roadway to communicate with each other. The R2AV product enables automated vehicles manufacturers to incorporate real-time emergency vehicle and incident data into its remote operations and vehicle driving systems so that autonomous vehicles can more intelligently and safely navigate and share the roadway with first responders. R2AV allows public safety agencies to proactively share emergency response and incident information with the automated vehicle manufacturers, as well as identify locations where they do not want these automated vehicles to drive - either temporarily or permanently.

With robotaxis and other automated vehicle deployments launching in more cities and highway corridors across the United States, their ability to detect and avoid interactions with responding emergency vehicles and other unplanned roadway incidents remains a concern for municipality and state transportation agencies. Rather than relying strictly on onboard vehicle sensors (e.g., cameras, LIDAR, microphones) to identify these situations with enough time for the automated driving system to make a decision, R2AV provides cloud-hosted, ground-truth roadway data that will lead to safer automated vehicle operations and deployments.

In early adopter cities like San Francisco, where robotaxis have been gradually expanding their service over the last few years, interactions between automated vehicles and emergency vehicles have consistently remained in the news, sparking complaints and raising concerns about the safety of autonomous vehicle technology. As an extension of HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud system, which is already installed in emergency vehicles and fleets in over 3,500 agencies nationwide to alert human drivers, R2AV helps to close this critical gap and advance a safer road network for all road users, including autonomous vehicles.

“Safety Cloud was founded in 2016 to help first responders stay safe on the roadway while serving their communities ”, says Cory Hohs, HAAS Alert’s co-founder and CEO. “We work closely with public safety agencies across the country, connecting their vehicles to Safety Cloud so that drivers can receive real-time safety alerts in their vehicle infotainment screens and mobile navigation apps. Sending alerts to driverless helps ensure that emerging and future modes of transportation can be deployed safely by protecting those who protect us .”

For cities that have already launched or are planning or considering to launch robotaxi service, please contact safer-robotaxis@haasalert.com for more information.