Is this the end of traffic lights as we know it?
Posted on by Kolbe
We posted a while back talking about driverless cars that could interact with one another, but what about cars that interact with the roads themselves? The same technology is being looked at as a safer, more efficient form of traffic regulation. We all know how traffic lights work, the light changes based on a timer and we rely on the drivers to obey the signal. Now with the technology being put into cars, they are looking at replacing the standard traffic light with sensors that can "speak" with your car. The car would transmit information about speed, position, etc. the traffic light would then decide to send a signal back to your car that is the safest and most efficient choice based on traffic patterns. So your car may continue driving through the intersection, or the car may begin to slow down, as the light will decide to let another lane of cars through. Now of course this technology can't be implemented until all the cars on the road are equipped with driverless technology, but they estimate in another fifty to sixty years that is the world we could be looking at. The other possibility is to have specific lanes and roadways for driverless cars only, this way this type of travel could be possible even with today's standard of automobile still on the road.