Washington, D.C. – The ITS Joint Program Office announced the online availability of Traffic Signal Preemption for Emergency Vehicles: A Cross-Cutting Study. The study addresses Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technology that can preempt the regular timing of traffic signals, providing a green light to an emergency vehicle at all intersections through which it travels. These emergency vehicle preemption (EVP) systems have been used in selected locations across the country for over 30 years, where they have demonstrated their ability to reduce secondary crashes and improve emergency response times.
Developed jointly by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration (NTHSA), the study presents the benefits, costs, extent of deployment, technology options and lessons learned associated with emergency vehicle preemption. The study examines three EVP examples in depth, discussing how the traffic, emergency services and preemption systems all operate in an integrated fashion. It also offers lessons learned in the areas of institutional issues, public acceptance, driver training, installation and maintenance.
The study is available online at http://www.itsdocs.fhwa.dot.gov/jpodocs/repts_te/14097.htm. To order a printed copy, send an e-mail message with shipping directions to itspubs@fhwa.dot.gov. For more information about the cross-cutting study, contact Linda Dodge of the ITS Joint Program Office at (202) 366-8032 or Linda.Dodge@fhwa.dot.gov.
