The average American worker spends almost half an hour commuting each day, but virtual traffic lights could cut that almost in half. If traditional traffic lights were replaced with virtual ones, the results could include not only a reduction of up to 40 percent in urban workers’ commute times, but also lower carbon emissions, less congestion and fewer accidents, a study from Carnegie Mellon University suggests. “These systems could be made even smarter and more efficient,” said tech analyst Roger Kay.
We don't live in a perfect world, so unless all motor vehicles are controlled through some approved safety software or a central traffic control computer system, someone is going to be driving an older car without this technology, or with that technology either turned off, by-passed, hacked. So if they don't see the virtual "red-light" or choose to ignore it, how would any investigating law enforcement officer be able to determine the cause of the collision? Or even if a collision doesn't occur, how would any police officer be able to determine a "violation" occurred. Oh, and how would you re-write the model traffic code? Just because someone thinks of a technology that could be helpful in a perfect-world scenario doesn't mean that in the real world the implementation can be simultaneous, easy, and not create more problems for the average person on the street. Go for a "ride along" with any traffic cop, then come back with a practical real-world solution and explain how it should be rolled out without problems.
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Virtual Traffic Lights Could Revolutionize City Driving
Posted by: Katherine Noyes January 15, 2015 05:09 PMThe average American worker spends almost half an hour commuting each day, but virtual traffic lights could cut that almost in half. If traditional traffic lights were replaced with virtual ones, the results could include not only a reduction of up to 40 percent in urban workers’ commute times, but also lower carbon emissions, less congestion and fewer accidents, a study from Carnegie Mellon University suggests. “These systems could be made even smarter and more efficient,” said tech analyst Roger Kay.