Advancements in modern technology have allowed us to build automobiles that are not only safer but more fuel efficient and cleaner for the environment. The majority of advancements, however, have focused on vehicles themselves when there's still plenty that can be done to improve the actual roadways we travel on each day.
As Digital Trends explains, modern stoplights are coordinated by a Traffic Management Center (TMC) controlled by city hall. At any given time, the TMC knows which lights are red, which are green and which are about to change.
All Matt Ginsberg of Connected Signals did was take this data and put it to work.
His app, EnLighten, gathers data from the local TMC, looks at your current location and direction of travel and gives an estimate of when the next light is coming and what color it'll be. The app also lets users know how long it'll be before a red light changes.
If you're like me, you're probably thinking that this sounds like a noble effort but do we really need yet another distraction behind the wheel?
Fortunately, EnLighten offers at-a-glance indicators and audio tones to help you navigate the roadways. For example, if you're sitting at a red light, the app will chime just before the light turns green so you aren't the idiot that other people honk at for not paying attention.
One of the biggest hurdles the team faced was getting traffic light data from local cities. Ginsberg said nobody wanted to be first but they also don't want to be last.
As of writing, the company gathers data from 100 cities and town. The EnLighten app is available right now for Android and iOS should you want to give it a try. The iOS version is also being integrated into the infotainment systems of BMW vehicles, we're told.