3 ms·

What's funny in certain countries (right now for me the GCC) is that people believe if you flash with your brights at the right speed and frequency it will auto

by 616c 11y ago

What's funny in certain countries (right now for me the GCC) is that people believe if you flash with your brights at the right speed and frequency it will automatically set them to green, or shorten the interval on the opposing traffic direction so it goes green for you sooner. Do other people believe this? I have watched people try for over 60 seconds or more until giving up, and I find this hilarious even today.

phpnode 11y ago
In the UK a lot of taxi drivers seem to believe this, the superstition is reinforced whenever they happen to flash when the lights were about to change anyway. It's also a comfort thing, similar to a placebo button[0] - people want to believe that they have some control over the mundane parts of their lives. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_button http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_button
DanBC 11y ago
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9617105 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9617105
monk_e_boy 11y ago
This works for temporary traffic lights here in the UK (I've just googled and some people seem to think they are motion sensors, but from my experience they aren't) If it's dark and quiet, I think both sides go to red, then when a light is detected, that side goes green. Quite common knowledge in the UK
- grkvlt 11y ago
  No, sorry - they are motion sensors. I can trigger them on my bike, with no lights involved. You're suffering from confirmation bias, and not taking into consideration the fact that the lights change when they detect your vehicle, this is usually going to be coincident with you flashing your headlights, but the former is the cause, not the latter. It's a common misunderstanding, though.
lojack 11y ago
I could understand why people would believe this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption#Line-of-sight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption#Line-... In the US at least, that is how a significant number of these systems work. It's rather unlikely they would get the right frequency to trigger it, but it's certainly possible.
- JshWright 11y ago
  I doubt the relays that control the headlights are even capable of switching at the required frequency...
- hoop 11y ago
  This is spot on and how it was where I grew up and was a volunteer firefighter. IIRC, the visible strobes on our equipment we referred to as "opticoms"
  - toomuchtodo 11y ago
    Opticoms can be preempted with a strobe light using an IR filter; they don't need to receive visible light to activate. If the Opticom sequence is trivial, the hardware is easy. If its a complex pattern, a 555 timer is required. Sitting outside your local fire station recording video of the strobe pattern on an emergency vehicle should be sufficient to determine the necessary pattern (you step through frame by frame to identify the sequence). The above is informational only. One should keep in mind that today, most traffic lights will log the preemption with their central controller, and that unauthorized use is illegal in most jurisdictions.
throwaway9324 11y ago
You guys make me feel old. http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/BOXES/chrome http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/BOXES/chrome
winsome 11y ago
Camera based detection systems track and detect based on vehicle headlights at night. It's theoretically possible that flashing your lights will ensure that your vehicle is detected, but it won't make the lights change any faster as people presume.

by 616c 11y ago

phpnode 11y ago

In the UK a lot of taxi drivers seem to believe this, the superstition is reinforced whenever they happen to flash when the lights were about to change anyway. It's also a comfort thing, similar to a placebo button[0] - people want to believe that they have some control over the mundane parts of their lives. [0] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_button http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Placebo_button

DanBC 11y ago

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9617105 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9617105

monk_e_boy 11y ago

This works for temporary traffic lights here in the UK (I've just googled and some people seem to think they are motion sensors, but from my experience they aren't) If it's dark and quiet, I think both sides go to red, then when a light is detected, that side goes green. Quite common knowledge in the UK

grkvlt 11y ago
No, sorry - they are motion sensors. I can trigger them on my bike, with no lights involved. You're suffering from confirmation bias, and not taking into consideration the fact that the lights change when they detect your vehicle, this is usually going to be coincident with you flashing your headlights, but the former is the cause, not the latter. It's a common misunderstanding, though.

lojack 11y ago

I could understand why people would believe this. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption#Line-of-sight http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traffic_signal_preemption#Line-... In the US at least, that is how a significant number of these systems work. It's rather unlikely they would get the right frequency to trigger it, but it's certainly possible.

JshWright 11y ago
I doubt the relays that control the headlights are even capable of switching at the required frequency...
hoop 11y ago
This is spot on and how it was where I grew up and was a volunteer firefighter. IIRC, the visible strobes on our equipment we referred to as "opticoms"
- toomuchtodo 11y ago
  Opticoms can be preempted with a strobe light using an IR filter; they don't need to receive visible light to activate. If the Opticom sequence is trivial, the hardware is easy. If its a complex pattern, a 555 timer is required. Sitting outside your local fire station recording video of the strobe pattern on an emergency vehicle should be sufficient to determine the necessary pattern (you step through frame by frame to identify the sequence). The above is informational only. One should keep in mind that today, most traffic lights will log the preemption with their central controller, and that unauthorized use is illegal in most jurisdictions.

throwaway9324 11y ago

You guys make me feel old. http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/BOXES/chrome http://www.textfiles.com/phreak/BOXES/chrome

winsome 11y ago

Camera based detection systems track and detect based on vehicle headlights at night. It's theoretically possible that flashing your lights will ensure that your vehicle is detected, but it won't make the lights change any faster as people presume.