A pleasant drive can quickly turn frustrating if you get stuck at a red light that just doesn’t seem to be changing. No matter how long you sit there, nothing you do is bringing on the green. However, it turns out that there is something that can make certain lights turn green.
Many traffic signals have sensors on top of the lights. They look like cameras but use light and infrared to tell the signal when it’s time to change. Sometimes they can get clouded over with dust and dirt though, causing a light to get stuck, but there is a secret hack to fix it from your vehicle.
Most people think that the trick is slowly inching your car forward, but that doesn’t do it. And since lights don’t have ears, honking your horn is useless. Because the sensor uses light to change, you can use your lights to change it. That’s right, by flashing your high beams, you can make certain lights go from red to green. The radiance and heat of your brights might be enough to break through the dirt on a sensor so that it recognizes your car and activates.
A few things to remember though – the trick only works on lights that have the sensor on top of them, and it won’t happen if your light just turned red, but if it hasn’t changed for a bit, give it a shot. Just keep in mind that when you do, people around you are going to think you are trying to signal something to them and might be confused. Of course, if it works and the light changes, you won’t be seeing those people much longer since you’ll finally be on your way.