The technology could eliminate response time and save lives.

American car company, Ford, has started testing smart traffic light technology. If successful, this system would allow emergency vehicles to communicate directly with the signal head. In a crisis, every second counts. This system will clear the intersection on the emergency personnel’s approach, and save valuable moments when they matter most.

“Whether it’s a fire engine attending a blaze or an ambulance that is in route to an accident, the last thing anyone wants is for these drivers to be caught up among other vehicles waiting for the lights to change.”

Martin Sommer, research engineer,
Automated Driving Europe, Ford of Europe.

In the near future, this technology could be used in consumer vehicles. This would allow the signal head to be used as detection for an intersection. Ford also released a concept video of how this would work.

This system is still in its early days, but this is an exciting look into the future. If you want to learn more about this new technology, here is the link to Ford’s official announcement.