Will Bismarck Be ADDING An Extra Light To Traffic Signals?
Ok, did my title of this story confuse you enough already? I mean it did for me
I'm pretty sure all of mankind ( and womankind ) since the day we started driving automobiles and following all the street ordinances, will relate to this - one of the FIRST things we seem to understand is a traffic light, a stoplight. The simple colors of red, yellow, and green tell our brain fairly easy instructions to follow.
Quick true or false tests - A) Green means "Drive as FAST as possible. B) Red means "You don't have to brake". C) Yellow means "It's time to see your dentist"
I'm guessing it took you all of about 2.5 seconds to determine the answer was FALSE to all 3 questions. That's how universal and simple the stop light is. Well, what if I were to tell you that one day in the near future we could have an extra light ADDED to the traditional stop light? This is an idea geared towards autonomous vehicles ( AV ). according to popularmechanics.com "... a traffic signal would operate as normal when the percentage of self-driving cars at an intersection is low, but when that number increases, the “white light” signals to human drivers that their robo-motorists have assumed control and to simply follow the car ahead. The paper’s authors say the light doesn’t need to be white and can be any color (we vote purple)"
I know exactly what you are thinking...
...our roads today aren't exactly packed with autonomous vehicles, but technology is definitely headed that way, might as well just go with the flow, so to speak.
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Gallery Credit: Nicole Caldwell & Matt Albasi