Red lights cured!

http://www.detnews.com/2003/technology/0310/26/a01-307303.htm

Gadget may wreak traffic havoc

"Tired of sitting at endless red lights? Frustrated by lights that turn from green to red too quickly, trapping you in traffic?

Now anyone can breeze through congested intersections just like the police, thanks to a $300 dashboard device that changes traffic lights from red to green, making nasty commutes a thing of the past and leaving other drivers open-mouthed at your ability to manipulate traffic...."

Wow. That thing is highly illegal. The light changer sensors at intersections are there so emergency vehicles can proceed to an accident scene as fast as possible. They're not there so impatient people can get to work 5 minutes faster.

I think the article is funny, because they make it sound like it's going to take longer than 15 seconds for a law to be passed banning them for public use.

Anybody remember those whistling tail-pipes in California? (Are they illegal yet?)

I wondered how long it will take before someone figured it out. Of course making something illegal only matters if the user gets caught. I suppose they could hook a camera up to the receiver and catch when the tramsmitter is used.

This is not new. In 1968 us kids found that a garage door opener would trip the lights too. We used to have lots of fun with that. No harm was done. Wouldn't try it nowadays...

I've seen directions a few years ago about how to use a normal strobe from Radio Shack or wherever to do that. A lot of cities started using sensors that would only respond to a specific pattern.

The information with regard to how this technology works is widely available on the internet. Nothing new. I am actually surprised this has only just now come to surface.

Short and simple, pulse an IR source at a specific frequency and that is what changes the lights. There are different frequencies for different types of vehicles, and some only change the light slightly quicker, while others do it immediately. It is actually very simple technology, and it wouldn't be too hard to make something of your own. A portable version of this could easily be put into something as small as a photon keychain light for short range use (like while sitting at the intersection). I'd bet there are some smart people out there already using their own homemade version of this.

To give some perspective, this is much easier to figure out than some of the Luxeon driver circuits that have been produced through CPF. The range at which the device works is only limited by the power of the source. I would speculate that a single 5mm IR LED would probably suffice when already sitting at the intersection.

Back in '68 we used to go through L'Enfant Plaza in Washington D.C. and turn all the lights to Red by whistling into our CB radios set to ch 23!

I also have a little black box that turns on brake lights on cars and trucks! It's a low powered radar gun! It triggers radar detectors!

For $100 you can get a complete kit here . Anybody find anything cheaper?

Ya know... It is JUST as legal to simply "breeze through" the red light as it is to change it to green with a device like this.

Any particular reason that this illegal activity was brought up in the first place?

[ QUOTE ]
Darell said:
Ya know... It is JUST as legal to simply "breeze through" the red light as it is to change it to green with a device like this.

Any particular reason that this illegal activity was brought up in the first place?

[/ QUOTE ] Show us the law. I haven't found anything that says it's illegal.

Of course you know the law would read a bit differently in each state, being a traffic offence. But Darell has already provide the reference for California here.

The subject was already old when it started, having been discussed already.

There are a lot of things aren't illegal everywhere (yet), but still are just not a good idea, in my opinion this is one of them. There are reasons the lights need to change for an ambulance and fire vehicles, not for someone in a hurry.

Even without the law quoted in the link I think common sense tells you it would be illegal to manipulate the flow of traffic except in an emergency. The implications are clear, more congestion, frustrated drivers more likely to run a red light after it quick changed from green to red for the 5th time on their way to work and so on.


How about we say…There's a good chance it's illegal in many or all states and for sure in CA.

[ QUOTE ]
tkl said:
.............. Show us the law. I haven't found anything that says it's illegal.

[/ QUOTE ]

OK, I'll bite. Are you really looking into the legality of this? If there isn't a law in your area, would you use such a device?

- Don

[ QUOTE ]
tkl said:
Show us the law. I haven't found anything that says it's illegal.

[/ QUOTE ]
Hmmm. Didn't take Empath very long. Took me even less time when I was actually researching something else. Does it really matter if this is illegal? Is it not obviously *wrong*?

This is the sort of device that is going to get people killed. Shame on the people hawking these to the public.

Brightnorm

Don't worry, there are "catch-all" laws in every state for exactly the kind of mentality some people unfortunately will exhibit, that of looking for loopholes so that it appears not "illegal" per se.

Laws like Reckless Endangering (a FELONY here in Hawaii if your intent, or the ol' "SHOULD have known it would cause..." State of Mind, can be proven to a certain level in court), or Disorderly Conduct, or Harassment, or even Attempted Homicide if the results of your actions cause (or COULD have caused) someone's death.

And even if you beat the charge and get off? The arrest, jail time waiting for bail or trial (and bail is rather high for felonies, BTW, you'd have to pledge your house to the bail bondsman in case you skipped town), and general stigma that will follow you all your life (an adult "rap sheet" is NEVER expunged) makes this all NOT worth it, IMHO.

Washington Post article

"In Michigan, a story about the devices in the Detroit News last week prompted state Sen. Tony Stamas (R) to promise that he would introduce legislation to make it illegal to possess such equipment.

"These devices are extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening," Stamas said in a news release. "Can you imagine the nightmare our roads would be if everybody had one?"

Hicks, the Maryland official, said that using the devices is already illegal in most states under statutes that prohibit interfering with traffic flow.

The equipment causing all the fuss came on the market in January through a Minnesota-based firearms and law-enforcement supply company called FAC of America. Owner Tim Gow said he takes great pains to make sure none of the devices is ever sold to an unauthorized individual, either over his Web site or through a handful of authorized dealers."

Interesting device. I've always figured that this was possible but never thought that someone would actually sell one.

What is really needed is a sensor that can be installed in cars that detects the legal traffic strobes and alerts the driver of approaching emergency vehicles. Perhaps something as simple as a photocell in the rear view mirror with a supporting computer would work.


Chris