Smarter traffic lights could help cars driver green, save you some cash at the pump

Next-gen traffic light ideas have been around forever; smart people, after all, need something to do besides stare at other people when they”re sitting at the lights. Denso, a parts manufacturer, has begun modeling a “smart traffic light system” that would use the information coming from incoming cars on both intersections to make decisions about when to change. The scheduled changes that occur now would, in theory, be replaced by a system of eyes that could judge whether cars were coming to an intersection, how many, how quickly, and whether the light should be changed.

The benefits are numerous: first, all the time and gas wasted at lights is both inefficient and wasteful. Making a better traffic light system would completely change how cars move every day, making life better for everyone.

The system would benefit everyone, by providing judgments on who should have right of way: the system has been in place for buses, with the reasoning being that 50 bus passengers take precedence over 20 or 30 cars. And in time, the system could be co-opted to buses and bikes, making the traffic light system better at seeing everyone on the road. In this way, the system could be more efficient, useful, and safe- the three goals every system should have.

– By: Zain Haq

Source: GreenCarReports