RALEIGH, N.C. — Green means go, red means stop, and yellow means slow down ahead of a stop. These three make up the typical traffic light, but researchers at North Carolina State University believe a fourth light could make a big difference.
The "white light" proposed by NC State transportation engineers would help self-driving vehicles control traffic flow and let humans behind the wheel understand what's happening.
Researchers found adding that fourth light would both shorten wait times for pedestrians at crosswalks and also improve traffic flow for all vehicles, according to a release from NC State. The system would work by activating the white light communicating to autonomous vehicles when there are enough near the intersection.
To humans, it would signify to "simply follow the car in front of them."
Ali Hajbabaie, an author of the related research paper and an associate professor at North Carolina State University, said earlier work within the project found a "white phase" tapping into the computing of autonomous vehicles would help speed up traffic, but only recently have the researchers addressed how this would impact pedestrians.
“We’ve now expanded our computational modeling to account for foot traffic, and the results are extremely promising for both pedestrians and vehicles," Hajbabaie said.
Researchers said their models suggest delays at intersections could decrease by at least 25% if autonomous vehicles are more commonly used in the future in addition to the white light system.
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