A computer-implemented method, system, and/or computer program product controls self-driving vehicles (SDVs). An emergency message is transmitted to a receiver within a self-driving vehicle (SDV). The emergency message describes an emergency state of an emergency vehicle and an identified future route of the emergency vehicle, where the identified future route is a planned route to an emergency destination for the emergency vehicle that includes a first pathway. In response to the SDV receiving the emergency message, the SDV is redirected, via an auto-control hardware system on the SDV, to drive to a second pathway that does not conflict with the identified future route of the emergency vehicle.