Audi Wants to Take the “Stop” Out of Stoplight

[Tango Charlie]

Do emergency vehicles have the capability to activate stop lights? I thought I heard this once, but maybe it was an urban myth.
I think it would be nice if cars had transponders in them to communicate with traffic lights. Then the lights could be truly 'smart'. They could sense which way had more cars, and turn green for them. How many times have you came up to a light and have it turn red on you, only to sit there waiting for NOBODY. Then you mutter, 'Stupid light...'
Emergency vehicles would have a 'trump' signal that would turn the light for them regardless of traffic.

[MetroMPG]

Not an urban myth: emergency vehicles can change red lights green or prolong green lights. (Assuming the light & vehicle are equipped.)

A truly smart system is a good idea.

[Tango Charlie]

But there would be issues to address. The first thing I'd try is to hack into my transponder to transmit a signal that looks like a whole bunch of cars.

[Compaq888]

This idea is not really going to help that much.

The best idea is have cars that drive by themselves. We would be able to drive 50+ on the streets because the cars would have more control and would integrate with the stop lights to get to your destination faster and accident free. Plus with an automated system there would be less distance between cars and less traffic.

[wagonman76]

I read about something a few years ago, and saw on TV, about some device people were building to simulate an emergency vehicle and hack the light change signal to turn it green for themselves. Quite illegal of course.

[i_am_socket]

they have warning like those here in jersey, but it doesn't do much good when traffic is moving 3 mph (because of said light's poor timing).

Too many lights have no sensors at all and don't have time-sensative programming. There's a light near my house on a backroad thats only useful during morning and evening rush hour. Any other time of the day its nearly useless. Compund that with horribly bad timing and its awesome at wasting gas.