Mainers Could Soon See Emergency Alerts Right in Their Cars

There's very little debate that drivers behind the wheel in Maine are most distracted than they've ever been. From cell phones in their hands to digital dashboards in their faces, there have never been more ways to not pay attention to the road.

Beyond the increased dangers to individual drivers those distractions present, there's another layer that has caused problems for first responders. People are so distracted behind the wheel, they're not properly moving over for emergency vehicles.

With that in mind, one set of first responders is taking a proactive approach to alerting drivers. Shared on Facebook by North Yarmouth Fire Rescue, one of their ambulances is now equipped with something called a HAAS system.

The HAAS system allows that ambulance to send out real-time, automatic takeover alerts to all drivers in the area. That alert will appear on both the drivers' cell phone as well as their activated smart screen or gps display, letting them know that an ambulance is en route to an emergency call or returning from one.

The extra alerts will be another way first responders can avoid traffic delays and the potential to get into a collision with drivers who may not have been paying attention to the lights and sirens. Accidents (and near misses) with emergency vehicles happens more than you think.

The HAAS system is gaining popularity nationwide and is something that more first responding units in Maine may quickly move towards enacting. As the North Yarmouth Fire Rescue mentions in their Facebook post, they will be monitoring the effectiveness of the tool to determine if all first response units should be equipped with it.