Even If You're Not A Geek You're Going To Like This As Long As You Hate Red Lights

Audi is rolling out a new feature this fall that should make city driving a lot less annoying for some people. Select new Audi models will offer a traffic light information system, which can actually tell drivers how much longer they’ll be stuck at a red light.

The system enables the car to communicate with the infrastructure in certain “smart” cities across the U.S. While driving, an Audi car receives real-time signal information from the city’s advanced traffic management system that monitors traffic lights. The vehicle receives the information via its on-board LTE data connection and servers from Audi’s partner, Traffic Technology Services.

The feature will be available on 2017 Audi Q7, A4, and A4 Allroad models built after June 1. Drivers can view the red light countdown on the instrument cluster as well as the head-up display, if the model is equipped with one.

In the future, Audi says the traffic light feature could be used to improve stop/start systems and navigation services. Eventually, city infrastructure will not only be able to send, but also receive, data from traffic on the road. This information should allow cities to locate bottlenecks created by poorly timed lights and improve traffic.

The new feature will be available starting this year in Las Vegas, Washington, D.C., Seattle, and Portland. Expect to wait at least one or two years before it heads to Los Angeles, reports the Los Angeles Times.

 

Cool! And I just have been waiting for the light to turn green. Traffic updates/info on lane closures and wrecks would be great.

 

Hopefully there are computer security measures in place before this happens.

 

Don't want that level of tech in my vehicle, and if it's installed in one I want, I'll have to strip it.

 

You can always just buy a Yugo, Pinto, etc or some other antiquated junk on the used market.

 

We have electronic counters at crossing here along with the walk/don't walk signs. Don't need this tech in my Marquis

 

The counters just tell you when the light is going to turn red, not when it's going to turn green.

 

This feature will be welcomed by Texters cuz they'll be able to relax and not have to worry that they're gonna be caught looking down when the light turns green and then hear a loud HONK!

In a sorta reverse derivative of this, what I would like to see would be some computerized help / indication of how many seconds before a light is going to turn red at those Photo Enforced Traffic Lights. You know ... the ones whereby you'll get a ticket in the mail if you run one of those lights. I HATE those things. I've never been victimized by one of those lights, but they really make me nervous when I'm approaching one. IMO, those things can probably cause more accidents than reduce them because as soon as you see the yellow light, instinctively you're either going to speed up or strongly brake more than you'd like to.

 

Wrong! While I sit there I can see the countdown to GO! I wouldn't be sitting there if the light was green!

 

Nope. You can get a "low tech" vehicle up until 2005 very easily if you know where to look. Low mileage too, if you look hard enough.

 

This technology is taking so long, 10 years and moving glacially slow. Audi will tell you about the lights while Volvo and Tesla let you ignore them entirely.....
http://www.volvocars.com/intl/about...e-autopilot/this-is-autopilot/how-we-got-here
Tesla is in front right now, but hopefully Audi, Volvo and Google will help usher in safer cars.
I think in a few years the insurance rates on self driven cars will be astronomical. Currently autonomous cars are only 3x as safe for deaths and 10x as safe for accidents, as that ratio increases so will the rates for self-driven cars..

 

Tesla update, self driving works. Just a matter of more data and testing now.
http://www.teslarati.com/tesla-demonstrates-self-driving-car-sees-world/