Connected safety innovator HAAS Alert and two European vehicle OEMs are taking the next step towards creating safety impact via networked V2X communication, paving the way for others.
HAAS Alert has announced that it has become one of only three service providers or vehicle manufacturers in the Data for Road Safety (DFRS) ecosystem actively contributing live road safety information to other member organisations in accordance with Euro NCAP guidelines. HAAS Alert joins BMW Group and Škoda in that distinction, having gone from joining DFRS to delivering high-quality, streaming hazard information in under twelve months. By doing so, HAAS Alert is enabling European automakers to earn Euro NCAP safety rating points for the Safe Driving category.
The DFRS initiative has gained momentum recently, and a growing coalition of government ministries, road operators, automotive manufacturers, and technology companies is driving it. DFRS is a cross-sector ecosystem that brings together vehicle manufacturers, service providers, public authorities, and associations to transform road safety data into life-saving insights – making European roads safer and advancing the EU’s Vision Zero ambition. In May 2025 during the ITS European Congress in Seville, DFRS announced a partnership with Europe’s New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP), requiring automakers to contribute and utilize safety data with DFRS ecosystem members to qualify for earning Local Hazard Information safety rating points.
The DFRS ecosystem exists because European governments decided that data sharing for road safety needed to be prioritized. The Netherlands’ Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, Spain’s Dirección General de Tráfico, Finland’s Traffic Management Finland, Germany’s Federal Ministry of Transport and Digital Infrastructure, Belgium’s Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, Austria’s ASFINAG, Denmark’s Danish Road Directorate, and Luxembourg’s Ministry of the Economy collectively built the governmental backbone of this initiative. More recently, France, Norway, and Ireland have joined the ecosystem as well, a reflection of the growing recognition that no single country or company can solve road safety alone.
Among the vehicle manufacturers in the DFRS ecosystem, BMW Group and Škoda stand out as OEMs who stepped up to make their vehicle data available to others first. Their contribution of connected vehicle data on a free, reciprocal basis follows the standard that DFRS established. The uptake from other OEMs is expected to grow as a result, with even non-European manufacturers selling vehicles in Europe expressing interest in the ecosystem.
Škoda’s commitment to digital alerting via cloud-based solutions predates DFRS. In 2021, Škoda first launched its Traffication in-vehicle application, a local hazard warning solution for its customers. In 2025, Škoda became the first European vehicle manufacturer to deploy HAAS Alert’s Safety Cloud-powered digital alerts, launching Emergency Vehicle Alerts in the UK and the Netherlands before expanding to more European countries in early 2026 – further supporting its ambition to enhance road safety through connected, real-time data sharing.
In under 12 months as a DFRS member, HAAS Alert completed a technical integration with the European Mobility Data Space, the official data catalogue for DFRS, becoming the first non-automotive manufacturer and non-national road authority member of DFRS to do so. Furthermore, HAAS Alert published a best practices guide to assist other DFRS members looking to implement a similar Mobility Data Space integration.
Cory Hohs, CEO of HAAS Alert, said:
“Our mission has always been smarter and safer roads for everyone – not just in North America, not just for the fleets that are our customers, but for every driver sharing the road with an ambulance, a tow truck, or a road crew. That’s what DFRS is about too. Participating in this ecosystem is more than a business decision for us – it’s a mission decision.
“What the national road authorities here have built, what BMW Group and Škoda have contributed, and what the whole DFRS community is proving together is that when you collaborate and work toward a common goal, you move faster than any one organisation ever could alone. We entered Europe two years ago because we believed in that idea. We’re more convinced than ever.”
(Picture: HAAS Alert)
