A FOURTH 'WHITE' TRAFFIC LIGHT WOULD HELP DRIVERLESS CARS TO EASE CONGESTION, SCIENCE SAYS

The extra light would indicate that autonomous vehicles had taken over control of the traffic flow at busy junctions

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Adding an extra light to traffic lights to show when autonomous vehicles (AVS) are taking control of the traffic to keep it moving, could ease congestion, according to simulations run by engineers at North Carolina State University.

The proposed four-light system would operate in the same way as the current three-light systems - red means stop, green means go, and so on. However, if a threshold number of driverless cars is detected approaching an junction, the white light phase is triggered, overriding the three-light system.