A new emergency vehicle alert method using GPS technology to warn drivers of first responder activity is currently being promoted by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) as a means of increasing compliance with state ‘move over laws’ and reducing the occurrence of related accidents.
The technology, advocated by DOT’s Every Day Counts round six (EDC-6) Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management (NextGen TIM), involves the use of small transponders located on emergency vehicles and traffic control devices that provide their location to navigation programs, smartphones and compatible vehicles, an article in January/February’s edition of Innovator, a DOT publication, said.
The alert method can also transmit text alerts to drivers who are on the same street as emergency vehicles through third-party navigation providers like Waze, Google, TomTom and Apple, the article said. EDC-6 NextGen TIM Co-Leader Paul Jodoin praised the technology, saying that its implementation would increase awareness and aid drivers in avoiding an array of potential hazards.
“Aware drivers are potentially safer drivers when passing roadway incidents, work zones, and responders,” Jodoin said in the article. “Next-generation TIM technology like digital alerts is proving to be a great way to help create better awareness among road users.”
The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has already implemented the technology, equipping “158 maintenance and service patrol vehicles with the ability to broadcast emergency alerts,” the article said. People on the turnpike who utilize Waze can opt-in to receive an alert when emergency vehicles turn their warning lights on.
During the technology’s use in Pennsylvania, Waze sent alerts to approximately 2.8 million users, the article said. The result, according to Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission TIM Coordinator Todd Leiss, was the reduction of roadside service-related crashes from 30 in 2018 to zero in 2020.
‘Move over laws,’ enforced in several states, generally require vehicles to move into an available lane “not immediately adjacent to the emergency vehicle” or slow down if unable to reasonably do so, a description on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website said.
