Automated Emergency Vehicle Control Strategy Based on Automated Driving Controls

Abstract

This study proposes an integrated driving control strategy by taking advantage of the automated driving technology at the individual vehicle level and the traffic signal preemption strategy at the traffic infrastructure level. This aims to facilitate an automated driving-based emergency vehicle control and ultimately to achieve efficient and safe control of emergency vehicles. To this end, this study developed the integrated emergency vehicle control logic, implemented the logic in the microscopic traffic simulation environment using the simulation software’s application programming interface capability, and evaluated the impacts of the proposed emergency vehicle control logic in the aspects of mobility and safety with different driving aggressiveness and preemption initiation settings. The study’s results show that the proposed emergency vehicle control logic achieved benefits on mobility and safety and the benefits of emergency vehicle control strategy can be maximized when the signal preemption and the automated driving control operate in collaboration. Therefore, the proposed integrated approach of automated driving controls and signal preemption will be a great reference for enhancing automated driving technologies supporting a safe and fast mobility solution.