5/17/04-A bill that would have outlawed the use of a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green has died.
The proposal remained in the Senate Finance Committee when legislators adjourned May 16, effectively killing the bill for the year. It previously passed the House.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. But some impatient drivers have managed to purchase them on the Internet for as low as $100, according to published reports.
People can even buy kits and build the signal changer themselves.
HF1683, sponsored by Rep. Steve Strachan, R-Farmington, intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT.
The traffic-device provision was added to a larger Senate transportation bill but it too failed to gain passage before lawmakers adjourned.
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 recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.

4/20/04-The House unanimously approved a measure that would outlaw the use of a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green. It has been forward to the Senate for further consideration.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach.
HF1683, sponsored by Rep. Steve Strachan, R-Farmington, is intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT.
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 recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.
For bill status, call (651) 296-6646.

2/9/04-A bill in the House would outlaw the use of a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.
A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach.
Rep. Steve Strachan, R-Farmington, has sponsored a bill – HF1683 – intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRT.
“It’s a public safety issue,” Strachan said in a statement. “You can’t have everyone free to flip a switch and turn the lights to green. The potential for accidents is huge.”
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.
The bill has been forwarded to the House Committee on Transportation Policy. For House bill status, call (651) 296-6646.