This is absurd from so many angles. First, as
@dezymond mentioned people do this already, but in a much more interactive way. They both watch the traffic lights (including the cross traffic's lights when visible), and the movement (or stopping), of opposing, turning or cross-traffic to determine the sequence of traffic light order, to predict when the light will change for them AND to make sure the coast is clear. This is using your eyes, ears and brain to analyze the conditions, to determine when it's SAFE to proceed, NOT just when the light says you can proceed without being ticketed.
If everyone relied on the traffic lights to make 100% of the decisions as to when to proceed, there would be less (but not no), "vehicle to vehicle" accidents, yes. However, one problem is that many people would continue to either ignore them completely (as some do now either purposely or by accident), or "jump the gun" as it were (as indicated above), placing them and their vehicles in the line of fire.
Another problem we're forgetting is pedestrians, which by law ALWAYS have the right of way, EVEN IF they are doing so AGAINST the traffic signals. What happens if it's 3, 2, 1, GO, and without paying attention to the street and movement of vehicles and pedestrians in front of you, unbeknownst to you a woman and baby in a carriage are just making it to the other side of the road but are right in front of you? Then we can add things like animals, kids on Bicycles (which rarely follow standard traffic laws or even common sense avoidance tactics), runaway basketballs, and even drivers who lose control of their vehicles for one reason or another.
Again, putting MORE things into the car's display in the name of prevention, causes more time with eyes OFF the road. This may prevent you from being pulled over for distracted driving (such as texting, fixing makeup or reading), since it's actually a car sensor, but it will increase the number of distractions just the same.
Another issue...what if you're not the first vehicle in the line at the light? What may happen is an increase in rear-end collisions where the car in front of you doesn't react to the sensor as quickly you do and you wind up hitting the idiots front of you that didn't move quickly enough when the light changed to get if your way (he says jokingly).
I understand this is an attempt to move closer to autonomous vehicles but installing sensors and indicators in order to make people act more like computers is not the way to do it.
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