In this session, Tim VanGoethem and Lawrence Williams will provide the latest updates from the Connected Safety Group, spotlighting the October 1st official kick-off of two groundbreaking Airbag Deployment-to-911 Drone First Responder (DFR) Demonstration Projects. These initiatives are being led by the LiDAR Saving Lives Public Safety Coalition (LSL) in partnership with the University of California, Riverside’s Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT) and Texas A&M University’s Center for Applied Communications and Networks (CACN). Publicly and privately funded, these two-year Demonstration Projects (October 1, 2025 – September 30, 2027) in Southern California and Southeast Texas directly support the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) initiative to eliminate roadway fatalities. The Demonstration Projects are centered on the design, development, and real-world testing of next-generation, satellite-based SOS Airbag Deployment-to-911 connectivity services and 9-1-1 Drone-as-First Responder (DFR) capabilities - pioneering technologies aimed at enabling faster, smarter, and more coordinated post-crash emergency response. Together, these efforts mark a major step forward in transforming how connected vehicles, public safety systems, and next-generation 9-1-1 technologies converge to save lives on our nation’s roadways.