Editorial: Auto device is waving a big red flag

Thursday, Oct. 16, 2003 | 9:28 a.m.

What if you had the power to turn red lights to green? What if you had the power to zoom through intersections, leaving the masses behind? These sound like hypothetical questions thrown out by a high-stepping motivational speaker. But there's nothing hypothetical about them. With a few hundred dollars, a little trust in various Internet sites and a conscience untroubled by lying, anyone can now purchase gadgets that can switch red lights to green lights within seconds.

The devices work by sending a coded, infrared signal to a traffic light's control system, which is installed within most big-city stoplights. Control systems are there to allow firefighters and other emergency responders equipped with transmitters to quickly move through traffic. But as Sun reporter Launce Rake reported Wednesday, transmitters are now being sold through Internet sites with virtually no scrutiny of the purchasers. One site, for example, pushes sales by encouraging people to become "dealers."

We have serious concerns about these sales. First, Internet sites are not known for being particular about their customers. Second, as everyone knows, people have always loved auto devices and always will -- 30 years ago it was CB radios and eight-track tape players, 20 years ago it was radar detectors and cassette tapes, 10 years ago it was navigational systems and CD players and today we can choose from that assortment plus DVD players, hands-free cell phones and digital climate control. The urge to buy cheap traffic-light activators will be irresistible to millions of drivers. And the sure result will be frequent chaos at intersections.

Which is why we see the need for Congress to consider setting standards about how these transmitters are marketed. Encrypting the control systems is not the answer, as manufacturers of the devices will immediately offer encryption-override kits. Turning off the control devices is not the best answer either, as responders need every second when emergencies arise. It's already against the law to use the transmitters improperly, but nothing yet governs their availability. With public safety at stake, Congress needs to give the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Highway Administration or a similar agency the green light to investigate these sales and their potential for causing major problems.