The yellow light didn’t enter the scene until the 1920s. William Potts, who was a police officer in Detroit, is credited with designing the first three- and four-way colored traffic lights.

Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago As cars and trucks get smarter and more ...

Researchers are exploring ways to use features in modern cars, such as GPS, to make traffic safer and more efficient. Eventually, the upgrades could do away entirely with the red, yellow and green ...

Instead of the standard red-yellow-green sequence, the Hawk signal has added some new variations.

The yellow light didn’t enter the scene until the 1920s. William Potts, who was a police officer in Detroit, is credited with designing the first three- and four-way colored traffic lights.

Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan ...

The yellow light didn’t enter the scene until the 1920s. William Potts, who was a police officer in Detroit, is credited with designing the first three- and four-way colored traffic lights.

Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan ...

Smarter vehicles could mean some of the most dramatic changes for the traditional traffic signal since the yellow light was added more than a century ago. (Jeremy Little/University of Michigan ...

The 34 traffic signals in Birmingham were chosen because, like more than half of the signals nationwide, they’re set to a fixed-time schedule without any cameras or sensors to monitor congestion.

Rather than doing away with today’s traffic signals, Hajbabaie suggests adding a fourth light, perhaps a white one, to indicate when there are enough autonomous vehicles on the road to take ...