It’s a traffic control system designed to give emergency vehicles the green light — literally. That device is called an Opticom™, made by Global Traffic Technologies (GTT).
Here’s how it works:
- Emergency vehicles are equipped with an emitter, which sends out a visible or infrared strobe signal.
- Traffic intersections have an Opticom receiver, mounted near the traffic lights.
- When the receiver detects the correct coded signal, it communicates with the traffic control cabinet to:
- Turn the light green for the approaching emergency vehicle.
- Turn red in all other directions (or sometimes all red in every direction, depending on configuration).
- Many intersections also include a confirmation indicator light (usually white):
- A solid white light means the emergency vehicle has control of the intersection.
- A flashing white light means cross-traffic vehicles do not have control.
Some cities even equip snowplows or buses with these systems to help manage traffic flow.
Cool Fact
All …
It’s a traffic control system designed to give emergency vehicles the green light — literally. That device is called an Opticom™, made by Global Traffic Technologies (GTT).
Here’s how it works:
- Emergency vehicles are equipped with an emitter, which sends out a visible or infrared strobe signal.
- Traffic intersections have an Opticom receiver, mounted near the traffic lights.
- When the receiver detects the correct coded signal, it communicates with the traffic control cabinet to:
- Turn the light green for the approaching emergency vehicle.
- Turn red in all other directions (or sometimes all red in every direction, depending on configuration).
- Many intersections also include a confirmation indicator light (usually white):
- A solid white light means the emergency vehicle has control of the intersection.
- A flashing white light means cross-traffic vehicles do not have control.
Some cities even equip snowplows or buses with these systems to help manage traffic flow.
Cool Fact
All of this is controlled by flashing infrared light—a simple but powerful technology that helps save lives every day by clearing intersections for emergency responders.
Would you have guessed that a flashing light could control an entire intersection?
Share your thoughts or experiences in the comments!
