This paper discusses the use of Vehicular Adhoc Networks (VANETs) for traffic light preemption in emergency scenarios. The proposed system, called SafeSmart, utilizes VANET-based vehicle-to-infrastructure communication to exchange data between traffic lights and emergency vehicles, improving safety and saving time. SafeSmart attempts to predict the arrival time of emergency vehicles at intersections using historical data and requests signal preemption for the selected route. This paper describes and evaluates the proposed approach through simulations using state-of-the-art simulators SUMO and OMNeT++ and real-world traffic data (Luxembourg SUMO Traffic (LuST) Scenario). The results demonstrate improved trip times and increased safety for emergency vehicles and general public on the road. © 2023 IEEE.