Control Traffic

[-Metablade-]

http://www.detnews.com/2003/commuting/0 ... 307303.htm

I'm certain that most of you have seen/heard about these devices by now.

Question is:
Would you buy and use one?
If so or not, why/why not?

Personally, I feel no need to purchase one, even in my supremely trafficcongested area.
I know of a few people in my area who have bought them, and it's completely obvious to other drivers when they use them.

I think it needs to go into the wrongness files big time.
That's my 2 en.

[Valkenar]

I agree, people should not be using these things. But I don't see it as a serious threat, since if it ever becomes widespread, they'll just change the technolgoy used to enable emergency vehicles to change the lights. Instead of the flashing lights, they'll just switch to something else. For example, using encrypted rfid.

[-Metablade-]

I would argue that rfid at least not yet would not be viable due to the limited range.
But given a couple of years, you are right; rfid will be as ubiquitous as toothpaste.

I thought rfid used a specific identifier hence the limited range and needed no encryption?

[Valkenar]

I would argue that rfid at least not yet would not be viable due to the limited range.
But given a couple of years, you are right; rfid will be as ubiquitous as toothpaste.

I thought rfid used a specific identifier hence the limited range and needed no encryption?

Check out the wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RFID#Types_of_RFID_tags

I was imagining that the streetlight is the reader and the vehicle is the transmitter. In this situation, an active RFID chip can be part of the siren, powered by the vehicle, which would give it the range required. Then the traffic light is the reader. I hadn't really thought about this carefully (it's just a random idea I tossed up) but the vehicle wants to be able to program the state of its chip so that lights only change when the siren is on. If it was merely the proximity of the vehicle, then lights would change whether or not there's any need. The purpose of the encryption would be to make it harder for people to create tags that masquerade as official vehicles, since it's not the unique id, but some other data presented by the tag that matters.

But I could be totally off-base here, this isn't really something I've considered before.

[-Metablade-]

Right on, and do-able!

However, one big problem;

$$$$$$$$

Changing the receiver setups city-wide could run into the millions.

And guess who flips the bill?

(Metablade opens his monthly sanitation bill: "WTF?!! $6,000.00 for city services???!!!!")

Yeah...I'm going with: "Make these devices a class "A" felony.

A.) They pose direct harm to the public safety.
B.) They could hamper emergency vehicles in a crisis response.
C.) I go out of my way to obey *most* traffic laws, and deal with it like every other poor schmoe on the road. Why do I have to wait even longer because some wanna be "Traffic hacker" (You heard it coined here first) thinks the road belongs to only him?!! Ba$$tard!