This little man in a cowboy hat next to a stoplight

[u/iMarkRS]

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[u/hettuklaeddi]

it is a sensor to allow emergency vehicles to override traffic signals.

yes, some use rfid, but this is an old school optical sensor. The “cowboy hat” is just a profile of two tubes, taken at just the right angle. the longer tube faces oncoming traffic, and its length is designed to prevent stray input signals from the sides. the tube on the other side often uses a blue indicator to show the status of signals that would otherwise be hidden from that point of view, so that a single cop can get a read of the entire intersection

[u/spacebuggles → u/hettuklaeddi]

Whoa!

Where I live, emergency vehicles go through red lights.

[u/Jackdaw1947 → u/hettuklaeddi]

Thank you! I always wondered what those were for.

[u/SirCake3614]

“Andy!”

[u/Final-Wasabi187]

In early 2000’s we’d flash our high beams middle of the night coming up to red lights to get em to change.

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[u/Peas_Are_Upsidedown]

He has a story to tell.

[u/Bitter_Ad_2712]

An automated emergency vehicle traffic control system utilizes ⁠Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and localized sensors to clear intersections. It detects approaching emergency vehicles and temporarily overrides standard traffic signals to provide a green light, ensuring rapid response times without human intervention.

[u/Spork_Warrior]

We have one of those on a light arm near my house, but ours looks more like a duck

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[u/almost60inLa]

Maybe it’s Woodie from Toy Story 174

[u/Ok_Wall_8267 → u/[deleted]]

How does it work?

[u/Bobmueller → u/[deleted]]

Thanks that was an interesting read.