Red Lights In Japan
Whereas speed cameras are plenty in Japan, the use of red light cameras has yet to catch on in the land of the rising sun. Instead of viewing red lights as revenue sources, Japan (which certainly could use the funds) is spending money in a big way to make red lights and stop signs safer. The Japanese National Police Agency is starting to roll out its Driving Safety Support System (DSSS) in Japan in July. Instead of waiting for someone to run a read light, and then dispatching a costly ticket, this system attempts to reduce the instances of red lights run. Toyota and other Japanese manufacturers are starting to integrate their cars into this system.
Basically, car navigation systems receive traffic information from roadside infrared beacons. This is not macro information, warning you about a traffic jam you most likely already sit in. It is fine-grained and highly targeted information about what is sometimes literally just around the corner.
This is how it works: There are roadside infrared beacons that communicate with on-board Driving Safety Support System (DSSS) receivers. They feed the information into the on-board navigation computer. It informs the driver about five possible situations:
Red light warning: A roadside infrared beacons signals the car that a read light is ahead.If the on-board system detects the possibility of running a red light, it alerts the driver.
Green light alert: Prior to the traffic light changing to green, a notification is given to the driver. No more honking necessary from fellow drivers.
Stop sign warning: A warning is sent to the driver if the system detects the possibility of the vehicle running a stop sign. There goes another souce of revenue.
Stationary vehicle ahead: Sensors ahead of the vehicle gather traffic data. If there is a stationary or low-speed vehicle ahead, the driver receives a notification.
Blind corners: If there is a vehicle around a blind corner, drivers on the road with the right-of-way are notified.
Bertel Schmitt comes back to journalism after taking a 35 year break in advertising and marketing. He ran and owned advertising agencies in Duesseldorf, Germany, and New York City. Volkswagen A.G. was Bertel's most important corporate account. Schmitt's advertising and marketing career touched many corners of the industry with a special focus on automotive products and services. Since 2004, he lives in Japan and China with his wife <a href="http://www.tomokoandbertel.com"> Tomoko </a>. Bertel Schmitt is a founding board member of the <a href="http://www.offshoresuperseries.com"> Offshore Super Series </a>, an American offshore powerboat racing organization. He is co-owner of the racing team Typhoon.
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OK, sounds good, but what about a system that checks traffic conditions and turns the light GREEN when no other traffic is around? Or a system that detects the number of cars trying to make a turn and allows that particular lane to stay green a bit longer to let all the cars thru? In theory there are ground sensors that already do this, but in my experience it doesn't work worth a hill of beans. I've sat at lights at 3AM (goin' fishin') with only one other car around and yet waited for the light to cycle completely (4 mins for all lanes!) while I sit wasting gas. We keep hearing about "smart road" technology and hive mind systems that constantly update (in real time) traffic conditions by collecting data from various sources (traffic cams, GPSs, road sensors, iPhone apps) but I'm still waiting for it to happen on a large enough scale and with fast enough results to be useable on my daily commute.
This seems potentially to be worthwhile technology but I suspect the human beings will find a way to render it next-to-useless or downright dangerous. Just because they are "warned" about obstacles etc. doesn't mean they will necessarily react in the appropriate ways.