Are we too smart for our own good?

Red-light running continues to be a problem across the country. Over time, we think that drivers have learned that intersections have a built-in buffer of a few seconds between when one signal turns red, and the other turns green. This learned behavior makes some drivers feel that the risk of running a red light is diminished, although we know that this is often not the case.

So we were interested to read recently about a Israel-based company that is working on a so-called smart traffic light. This light uses sensors and a computer to determine when a driver isn't going to stop at a red light, and delays the green light for the other direction until the red light violator clears the intersection. Obviously, this is technology that has the potential to save lives. But we wonder, will the same drivers who play the risks with red lights today simply learn that a future signal controller will protect them when they charge into an intersection against a red light?

We look forward to "generation 2.0" of this technology, which might be able to determine that one car is waiting at the intersection from one direction, but 40 cars are approaching from the other direction, and set the lights appropriately.

Oh, and the researchers report that the same technology might be able to report drivers who commit traffic violations. But we have that technology today, we just need the laws to support its use.