How Traffic Lights Can Make a Positive Impact

How TRAFFIC LIGHTS Can Make a P4 sitive Impact When driving, you tend to only think of traffic lights when they turn red and make you late to work. But how do they affect the environment, and how do they work to keep people safe? Here's a look at some of the current and future traffic technology designed to benefit drivers and the world around them. Safety Red Light Cameras About 22% of U.S. traffic accidents are the result of drivers who run red lights. ) Red light cameras were designed to help minimize this type of crash. They collect the evidence They photograph your vehicle running the red light. DD-567 necessary to prosecute. VIOLATION A traffic ticket is sent to you in a month or two. A study of seven cities' red light camera programs revealed a: 12] 25% 15% decrease in increase in rear-end collisions angle crashes. ICKET As of mid-September, red light cameras were responsible for 339,000 tickets in TICKET South Florida alone. 131 TICKET TICKET TCKET Emergency Traffic Management" To help first-responders stay safe while working, engineers from Maricopa County and researchers from the University of Arizona developed a useful prototype called SMARTDrive. Vehicles can talk to the traffic lights and other cars to increase safety. Software will prioritize emergency vehicles when they're coming up AMBULANCE to an intersection. Driverless Car Intersections As people engineer driverless cars, others are imagining what the future will be like in terms of traffic and road navigation. 5) University of Texas at Austin computer scientists are developing intersections of the future, where driverless cars dominate the roads. This would be beneficial because: 95% 95% 25% of all accidents of all traffic are the result of accidents happen human error. at intersections. STOP Intersections wouldn't have: Traffic Lights Stop Signs Instead, they'd communicate with each driverless car when it's a few hundred yards away to help them cross safely. Environment Adaptive Signal Control* Instead of using pre-programmed traffic signals, this technology adjusts red, yellow, and green lights according to changing traffic patterns. An increase in traffic flow would reduce emissions of: Carbon Monoxide Hydrocarbons However, this system is used on less than 1% of traffic signals. The Florida Highway Administration is working to bring this technology across the country. Wind-Powered Traffic Lights" The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is working on a project involving solar and wind-powered traffic signals. It's currently in its final stages and is expected to end in April 2013. These lights could send renewable energy into the power grid. Conclusion On top of increasing traffic efficiency and being more cost-effective, traffic signal technologies can help benefit safety and the environment. Sources [1] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety- regulatory-devices/red-light-camera.htm [2] http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/fhwasa10005/docs/brief_7.pdf [3] http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-09-19/news/fl-red- light-stats-20110919_1_american-traffic-solutions- red-light-camera-red-light-violations [4] http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/04/arizona-dot-and-partners- roll-out-high-tech-traffic-management-prototype.html [5] http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/03/22/no-lights-no-signs- no-accidents-future-i?videold=232193655 [6] http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/technology/adsc/ (7) http://www.neo.ne.gov/neq_online/may2012/may2012.04.htm How TRAFFIC LIGHTS Can Make a P4 sitive Impact When driving, you tend to only think of traffic lights when they turn red and make you late to work. But how do they affect the environment, and how do they work to keep people safe? Here's a look at some of the current and future traffic technology designed to benefit drivers and the world around them. Safety Red Light Cameras About 22% of U.S. traffic accidents are the result of drivers who run red lights. ) Red light cameras were designed to help minimize this type of crash. They collect the evidence They photograph your vehicle running the red light. DD-567 necessary to prosecute. VIOLATION A traffic ticket is sent to you in a month or two. A study of seven cities' red light camera programs revealed a: 12] 25% 15% decrease in increase in rear-end collisions angle crashes. ICKET As of mid-September, red light cameras were responsible for 339,000 tickets in TICKET South Florida alone. 131 TICKET TICKET TCKET Emergency Traffic Management" To help first-responders stay safe while working, engineers from Maricopa County and researchers from the University of Arizona developed a useful prototype called SMARTDrive. Vehicles can talk to the traffic lights and other cars to increase safety. Software will prioritize emergency vehicles when they're coming up AMBULANCE to an intersection. Driverless Car Intersections As people engineer driverless cars, others are imagining what the future will be like in terms of traffic and road navigation. 5) University of Texas at Austin computer scientists are developing intersections of the future, where driverless cars dominate the roads. This would be beneficial because: 95% 95% 25% of all accidents of all traffic are the result of accidents happen human error. at intersections. STOP Intersections wouldn't have: Traffic Lights Stop Signs Instead, they'd communicate with each driverless car when it's a few hundred yards away to help them cross safely. Environment Adaptive Signal Control* Instead of using pre-programmed traffic signals, this technology adjusts red, yellow, and green lights according to changing traffic patterns. An increase in traffic flow would reduce emissions of: Carbon Monoxide Hydrocarbons However, this system is used on less than 1% of traffic signals. The Florida Highway Administration is working to bring this technology across the country. Wind-Powered Traffic Lights" The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is working on a project involving solar and wind-powered traffic signals. It's currently in its final stages and is expected to end in April 2013. These lights could send renewable energy into the power grid. Conclusion On top of increasing traffic efficiency and being more cost-effective, traffic signal technologies can help benefit safety and the environment. Sources [1] http://auto.howstuffworks.com/car-driving-safety/safety- regulatory-devices/red-light-camera.htm [2] http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/intersection/resources/fhwasa10005/docs/brief_7.pdf [3] http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2011-09-19/news/fl-red- light-stats-20110919_1_american-traffic-solutions- red-light-camera-red-light-violations [4] http://fastlane.dot.gov/2012/04/arizona-dot-and-partners- roll-out-high-tech-traffic-management-prototype.html [5] http://www.reuters.com/video/2012/03/22/no-lights-no-signs- no-accidents-future-i?videold=232193655 [6] http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/everydaycounts/technology/adsc/ (7) http://www.neo.ne.gov/neq_online/may2012/may2012.04.htm