Vehicular Communication for Road Safety: Simulation and Analysis of Emergency Vehicles Preemption Using Traffic Light-Based V2I Technology

In an era of growing urbanization and complex of transportation networks, emerging technologies in the fields of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) are revolutionizing the way vehicles communicate with each other and with surrounding infrastructure. This thesis explores the evolution of these new technologies, outlining the continuous progression from assisted driving, enabled by Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), to automated driving made possible by vehicular-to-everything (V2X) communication. The research begins with an overview of intelligent transportation systems, followed by a detailed analysis of Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks (VANETs). It examines various communication protocols, such as Dedicated Short-Range Communication (DSRC) and Cellular-V2X (C-V2X), highlighting their advantages, challenges, and potential future developments, such as the introduction of new standards like IEEE 802.11bd and 3GPP releases 18 and 19. A simulation was conducted to evaluate the integration of these protocols in a realistic scenario, focusing on the preemption of emergency vehicles through traffic light control. By utilizing the Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO) software for traffic network creation, combined with Omnet++ and Vehicles in Network Simulation (Veins) for communication modelling, the scenario illustrates how vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication can enhance road safety, optimize traffic flow, and improve emergency response times. The simulation demonstrates that, when emergency vehicle preemption is activated, the system significantly reduces delays for emergency vehicles at intersections, allowing them to navigate through in as little as 7 seconds compared to 20 seconds in non-preemptive scenarios. This leads to a marked improvement in traffic flow and emergency response efficiency. The thesis also explores the expanding role of smartphones as potential communication nodes within vehicular networks. With these devices now playing a central role in daily life, their integration with existing infrastructure offers promising opportunities to further enhance road safety and traffic efficiency. The result of this research demonstrates how the integration of ADAS systems and, subsequently, V2X technologies can not only increase road safety but also promote the development of smarter and more sustainable mobility.