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Collisions involving UK emergency vehicles cost services an estimated £150m a year. A new partnership between HAAS Alert and Standby Group aims to reduce that risk by giving drivers crucial advance warnings of approaching emergency vehicles and roadside hazards.

At The Emergency Services Show in September, Gareth Evans, Director of Strategy and Business Development for HAAS Alert Europe and Stuart Braybrook, Group Innovation Manager at Standby Group, explained how the technology works and what it could mean for services across the UK.

“If blue lights, sirens, cones and hi-vis jackets worked perfectly, we wouldn’t exist. But they don’t, and modern vehicles isolate drivers from outside noise. Safety Cloud, the HAAS Alert platform, alerts drivers 15 to 30 seconds in advance, giving them time to look up from their phones, put down their coffee, and respond safely.” - Gareth Evans, Director of Strategy and Business Development, HAAS Alert.

Standby Group’s Ice Cloud system connects emergency vehicle equipment, controllers, telematics and video systems to Safety Cloud so vital data like location, speed and active blue lights can be shared in real time. “Over 90% of UK police vehicles already have our controllers,” Stuart explained. “If we can get that data in front of the public, that’s a huge benefit for everyone.”

The partnership is already live with Cleveland Police. Gareth said the system could scale rapidly. “In theory, we could make a big impact almost overnight. By partnering with operators like Standby, who already have access to 90% of the fleet, we can activate the system immediately without needing to install new hardware in every vehicle.”

The value is clear, even a small reduction in collisions protects staff, the public and saves services money. “Some of these incidents are unavoidable occupational hazards, but a lot of it isn’t,” Gareth said. “If we reduce them by even a few percent, the system pays for itself.”

For police, the alerts also support covert operations, allowing officers to activate blue lights briefly without broadcasting their presence widely. “Being a police force is slightly different to ambulance or fire,” Stuart said. “Sometimes they need to be seen, sometimes not. We’ve built the capability to do both.”

Looking internationally, HAAS Alert has been active in the US for years, and European carmakers are beginning to integrate Safety Cloud directly into vehicles. Gareth warned: “We don’t want to be the only country in Europe not connecting to passenger vehicles. Drivers will expect it.”

The pair also highlighted the role of future technologies. By 2030, most vehicles will be software-defined. “That makes interfacing vital,” Stuart said. “Data on blue lights and vehicle status needs to feed into systems like Safety Cloud.” Autonomous shuttles are already operating in UK cities and Gareth added, “Being connected to an emergency vehicle could give them an extra 30 seconds or a minute to react – a huge difference.”

Services don’t have to adopt the system all at once. “You could start with one vehicle or half a fleet,” Gareth said. “What matters is taking the first step.” Stuart added, “If our customers can make people aware in a clearer, more informative way that they’re on their way to an emergency, then everyone benefits.”

The session highlighted how connected vehicle technology can improve safety, efficiency, and interoperability for UK emergency services, giving staff and the public vital seconds that could make all the difference.

Watch the full interview here: Connected roads, connected services: partnerships pioneering digital alerts in Europe.