4/16/04-A bill that would outlaw a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green has died.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach.
HB141, sponsored by Rep. John Vincent, R-Ashland, was intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using the so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT.
It remained in the House Transportation Committee when the session ended April 13, effectively killing the bill for the year.
Under the measure, a person caught using the device could be fined $250. Repeat offenders could be jailed up to one year and pay a $500 fine.
A person involved in an accident while using the device could be sentenced to one year in prison and fined $500. A second accident conviction could result in a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.

1/9/04-Rep. John Vincent, R-Ashland, introduced legislation Jan. 6 that would outlaw the use of a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.
HB141 is intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using Mobile Infrared Transmitters, or MIRT.
Under the measure, a person caught using the device could be fined $250. Repeat offenders could be jailed up to one year and pay a $500 fine.
A person involved in an accident while using the device could be sentenced to one year in prison and fined $500. A second accident conviction could result in a five-year prison sentence and a $10,000 fine.
The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. The device has been in use at intersections since the early 1970s.
A recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.
The bill has been forwarded to the House Transportation Committee. For bill status, call (502) 564-1800. In Kentucky, call 1-866-301-9004.