Motorist better warned for emergency responders | Car

The Flitsmeister app also warns for ambulances, but that service only works in a limited part of the country. Users of ANWB, Be-Mobile, Hyundai, Inrix, Kia and TomTom will soon notice the new service, in collaboration with the government: their car or app will warn if a vehicle with a flashing light and siren is approaching. The message tells you which vehicle is approaching and from which side. Initially this only applies to ambulances, later this year also to other emergency vehicles. This afternoon, Minister Harbers will be present at the kick-off in Utrecht. It is hoped that more companies will join the initiative, called Safety Priority Services (SPS), in the near future.

98 percent of motorists now use digital information while on the road. In addition, pilot projects show that warnings on the road have a positive effect on road safety,” says Harbers. “I would like to respond to these developments, also because drivers of, for example, cars and trucks indicate that they appreciate these warnings and rely on them more and more.”

The system will eventually warn not only for emergency vehicles, but also for wrong-way drivers, the tail end of a traffic jam (which inattentive motorists sometimes hit), obstacles on the road, road works, road inspectors from Rijkswaterstaat standing along the road, accidents, closed lanes ( red cross), a slippery road surface or weather conditions that could endanger road safety.

The motorist can also receive information via the new service about, for example, the applicable maximum speed. In due course, it will be examined whether the route advice from the navigation services can take into account possible unsafe situations, so that, for example, school zones can be avoided.

The warning system will become a legal requirement in Europe from 2025. In the current collaboration, the six companies combine their own data with that of the National Road Traffic Data Portal (NDW), which is managed by the government.