LYT is proud to announce the launch of Route Prediction™(patent pending), the latest innovation to our LYT.emergency solution, designed to tackle one of the most critical challenges in urban traffic management—emergency vehicle preemption (EVP). Powered by advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), Route Prediction™ optimizes the path of emergency vehicles by predicting the route of the first responders’ vehicle in order to provide the timely change of traffic lights, ensuring faster response times and safer journeys while minimizing disruptions to traffic.
In this blog, we’ll explore the key benefits of Route Prediction™ and how this groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind solution empowers both first responders and traffic engineers to create safer and more efficient urban environments.
The Challenges of Emergency Vehicle Preemption
First responders often face life-or-death situations where every second counts. Traditional emergency vehicle preemption systems (EVP) have long been used to help clear traffic for emergency vehicles by preempting traffic signals along their route via hardware in the vehicle and at the intersection. However, these traditional systems have major shortcomings:
Unnecessary Preemptions: Triggering signals that don’t impact the emergency vehicle’s route just because they are within sight, leading to inefficient traffic flow.
Safety Concerns: Insufficient time for pedestrians or other vehicles to react, leading to potential accidents.
Outdated Technologies: Many systems are reactive rather than proactive or predictive, causing delays in clearing intersections. Sometimes failing to work at all.
LYT’s Route Prediction™ directly addresses these pain points, providing a smarter, more targeted approach that benefits not just first responders, but entire communities.
How Route Prediction Works
Route Prediction™ uses AI and machine learning to anticipate and optimize emergency vehicle routes in real-time. By preempting only the necessary traffic signals along the anticipated path, it ensures smoother, faster, and safer journeys for emergency vehicles while minimizing the impact on other road users.
Key features include:
AI-Driven Predictions: Continuously updates the predicted path as emergency vehicles progress toward their destination.
Targeted Preemptions: Activates traffic signals only on the necessary route, avoiding unnecessary disruptions to traffic.
Customizable Business Rules: Cities can set specific parameters for preemptions, allowing for full control and customization.
Let’s dive deeper into the specific benefits for both first responders and traffic engineers.
Benefits for First Responders: Safer, Faster Emergency Response
For first responders, Route Prediction™ represents a significant leap forward in ensuring they can reach emergencies as quickly and safely as possible.
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Faster Response Times
Time is everything for first responders. Route Prediction™ leverages AI to anticipate the most efficient route for emergency vehicles, ensuring that traffic signals are preempted well in advance, even farther out than our LYT.emergency solution. This proactive approach reduces delays and ensures that emergency vehicles move through intersections smoothly, shaving precious seconds off response times.
In situations where every second counts—whether it’s a fire, medical emergency, or police response—Route Prediction™ is designed to help responders arrive faster and more efficiently.
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Improved Intersection Safety
Intersections are often the most dangerous points on the road for emergency vehicles. According to the National Safety Council, crashes involving emergency vehicles accounted for over 200 deaths in 2022 alone, with pedestrians making up 22% of these fatalities.
Route Prediction™ significantly enhances safety by ensuring that intersections are cleared in advance, giving both pedestrians and other drivers time to react before emergency vehicles arrive. By anticipating the vehicle’s route and activating signals only where necessary, the system minimizes the risk of accidents at critical intersections.
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Continuous Learning for Better Outcomes
Route Prediction™‘s AI-powered algorithms learn from historical data and driver habits to continually improve its predictions. Over time, this means even more accurate and efficient route preemptions, further enhancing safety and reducing response times. For first responders, this means a system that evolves with their needs, adapting to the city’s unique traffic patterns.
Benefits for Traffic Engineers: Enhancing Control and Efficiency
Traffic engineers are responsible for maintaining smooth and efficient traffic flow across cities, while also ensuring safety for all road users. Route Prediction™ provides engineers with a comprehensive set of tools that allow them to improve the effectiveness of their emergency vehicle preemption systems and reduce unnecessary disruptions.
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Real-Time Monitoring and Data Insights
With Route Prediction™, traffic engineers can monitor preemptions and vehicle routes in real-time with a comprehensive citywide view. This bird’s eye perspective allows engineers to:
– Visualize predicted routes and preemptions as they happen and witness the change in the predicted route as the vehicle travels through the city.
– Access detailed phasing and preemption history for any connected intersection.
– Understand how the system is impacting overall traffic flow, enabling them to make data-driven adjustments.
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Minimize Traffic Disruptions
Traditional EVP systems often preempt signals unnecessarily, causing congestion in areas unaffected by emergency vehicles. Route Prediction™ only preempts the signals along the predicted route, ensuring minimal disruption to normal traffic patterns.
By reducing these unnecessary preemptions, Route Prediction™ helps traffic engineers maintain the overall efficiency of the city’s traffic network. This means less disruption for drivers, smoother traffic flow, and fewer complaints from frustrated commuters.
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Seamless Integration and Automatic Updates
One of the standout features for traffic engineers is Route Prediction™’s turnkey, no-maintenance design. The solution integrates seamlessly into the existing LYT.emergency platform, without the need for additional hardware or manual system updates. This hands-off approach means that cities can start benefiting from Route Prediction™ immediately, without burdening their engineering teams with ongoing system maintenance or installations.
Empowering Cities to Build Safer Communities
At the heart of Route Prediction™ is the goal of creating safer, smarter cities. By providing a more efficient and accurate way to manage emergency vehicle preemptions, the system reduces the risk of accidents, shortens emergency response times, and ensures smoother traffic flow.
With customizable business rules, real-time monitoring, and AI-powered predictions, cities can take full control of their traffic management strategies, providing safer routes for emergency vehicles while minimizing disruption to everyday traffic.
Conclusion: A Game-Changer for First Responders, Traffic Engineers, and Communities as a whole
LYT’s Route Prediction™ is more than just an addition to LYT.emergency—it’s a revolutionary step forward in the way cities manage emergency vehicle preemptions. For first responders, it ensures faster, safer journeys to emergency scenes. For traffic engineers, it offers unparalleled control and efficiency.
Together, Route Prediction™ is helping cities build safer roads, protect first responders, and create more efficient urban environments.
Are you ready to learn how Route Prediction™ can benefit your city? Contact us today to schedule a demo and see the future of emergency vehicle preemption in action.
To better understand the true impact LYT solutions can have in a community, let our customers and their results showcase the benefits by visiting LYT in Action.
