In addition to red, amber and green traffic lights, motorists may have to get used to a new color that is specifically designed for fully autonomous vehicles.
At least that’s what North Carolina State University is suggesting, which is studying the impact of adding a connected light to fully autonomous vehicles, i.e. vehicles that drive without driver intervention.
This brand new technology would make it possible to control the flow of traffic. So when enough self-driving cars approach an intersection, the light changes color and tells drivers to just follow the car in front of them.
The researchers believe it is interesting to adapt traffic to smart vehicles by connecting them to traffic lights. “However, we believe it is important to include the concept of [ce nouveau feu] at intersections because it tells human drivers what’s happening so they know what to do as they approach the intersection,” said Ali Hajbabaie, associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering of Construction and Environment at North Carolina State University.
Ultimately, this new technology could allow drivers to save time. “But even if only 10% of the vehicles at a white-phase intersection are self-driving, you still see fewer delays. For example, if 10% of the vehicles are autonomous, you will see 3% less delays. If 30% of vehicles are autonomous, delays will be reduced by 10.7%,” Hajbabaie said.