The government preempted potential traffic congestion by taking early measures.

preempted 是动词 preempt 的过去式。preempt 由前缀 pre-（表示"提前"）和动词 empt（来自拉丁语 emere，意为"取得、占据"）组成，字面意思是"提前取得/占据"。在英语中引申为"抢先采取行动以防止某事发生"的意思。