Green light just a quick switch away

By ANDREW GUMBEL in Los Angeles

Nobody likes red traffic lights. Hence the perfect new device that promises United States drivers they need never encounter another one again.

It's called MIRT, short for Mobile Infra-Red Transmitter, and for as little as US$300 it promises to switch red lights to green from 460m away.

That's good news for commuters who want to beat traffic jams and don't care too much about the consequences for others. But it is causing palpitations among public officials who note with horror that the device isn't illegal - yet.

A rash of MIRT sales in Detroit has politicians in Michigan indignant. They want to outlaw the device, which looks a bit like a clock radio and plugs into a car cigarette lighter.

Michigan state Senator Tony Stamas called the MIRT "extremely dangerous and potentially life-threatening". "Can you imagine," he said, "the nightmare our roads would be if everybody had one?"

MIRTs have been around for years to help police and fire crews speed their way through traffic in an emergency. It used to be relatively simple to prevent their sale to criminals or ordinary commuters, but that was before the Internet changed everything.

Now you can go online, and with a few clicks order your very own.

If MIRTs used radio waves, they would be subject to federal regulation and could be deemed illegal. But infrared devices are not governed by existing laws - a loophole online retailers are exploiting.

* Authorities point out the MIRT will not work in New Zealand.

In the US, traffic light sensors respond to the infra-red beam. Their introduction in New Zealand was discussed but never happened.

A spokesman for Harding Traffic, the manufacturers and distributors of traffic lights in this country, said the technology had not been installed.

Lights can only be controlled by a central database for emergency services, or by GPS on certain buses.

- INDEPENDENT, STAFF REPORTER