Imagine receiving an alert that an emergency vehicle or construction hazard is approaching 10, 20 or even 30 seconds before you see flashing lights or hear a signal. That’s among the many benefits HAAS Alert is bringing to connected and autonomous vehicles.

HAAS Alert is a mobile vehicle-to-vehicle platform that thinks ahead for motorists, allowing the driver and the vehicle itself to make proactive rather than reactive decisions on the road. The Chicago-based company is working with smart cities, insurance companies, automotive manufacturers and map-data suppliers to offer real-time connections between emergency situations and everyday driers.

The technology works by equipping all kinds of safety and emergency vehicles with hardware that allows them to communicate their presence into the company’s “safety cloud,” explained Jeremy Agulnek, vice president of Connected Car. HAAS Alert processes that data and shares it with connected cars to keep all parties alert, safe and prepared for any scenario.

The company was part of Techstars Mobility in 2016, and it has maintained close ties with Michigan and Detroit as it grows, Agulnek said.

“We’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback and support in general from the state of Michigan,” Agulnek said. “We know this is the heart of the American automotive scene. This is where all the right people are, and we want to be a part of it as a new technology brand.”