Stellantis Models Now Alert Drivers to Nearby Emergency Vehicles and Road Hazards
Stellantis, the multinational automotive manufacturer, has implemented a new system that alerts drivers to nearby firetrucks, ambulances, and road hazards. The system was suggested by a hearing-impaired Stellantis employee who had a near-miss with an emergency vehicle. The employee presented the idea through Star*Up, the carmaker’s internal competition where employees can present their interesting ideas. The suggestion prompted Stellantis to adopt the HAAS Alert system that receives notifications from the HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud platform used by thousands of public and private roadway fleets in North America as a vehicle-to-everything and digital alerting solution.
Trpko Blazevski, Stellantis’ manager of global innovation and digital partnerships, said, “We said we need to implement this. We need to do something for our customers. So we did that very quickly to deliver this. It was key and critical based on her experience that this can’t be model year ’24. We have to go back as far as we can and make this available to our existing customers that have our vehicles on the road today.”
The warning flashes on the infotainment screen while also playing an alert chime. It is enabled when an emergency vehicle has its lights or siren on, meaning drivers won’t be alerted to emergency vehicles that are parked or not responding to emergencies. The HAAS Alert Safety Cloud also enables the Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol that alerts drivers to disabled vehicles. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles built from the 2018 model year give owners between 15 to 20 seconds of warning if a vehicle is disabled ahead.
HAAS Alert is also pushing to make construction and work zones safer. “We’re actually starting to make a pretty big push into road construction and work zones,” said HAAS Alert senior vice president of connected vehicles Jeremy Agulnek. “There’s a big emphasis on work zone safety nationally, so we’re really trying to just get the word out.”
In conclusion, Stellantis has taken a step towards improving road safety by implementing the HAAS Alert system that alerts drivers to nearby emergency vehicles and road hazards. The system was suggested by a hearing-impaired Stellantis employee who had a near-miss with an emergency vehicle. The warning flashes on the infotainment screen while also playing an alert chime, and it is enabled when an emergency vehicle has its lights or siren on. The HAAS Alert Safety Cloud also enables the Hazard Enhanced Location Protocol that alerts drivers to disabled vehicles. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles built from the 2018 model year give owners between 15 to 20 seconds of warning if a vehicle is disabled ahead. HAAS Alert is also pushing to make construction and work zones safer.