Have You Seen Those White Squares On Top Of Traffic Lights? Here’s What They Do For You

With more drivers taking to the roads each year, the commute is busier than ever. Those drivers may be less committed to obeying traffic laws, or, make that trip more dangerous if you’re racing. That latter fact has led some law enforcement agencies to take several interesting measures, including the use of unmanned speed jeeps, to hold offenders accountable.

Although traffic cameras may appear to be effective, opinions remain divided on their legal and ethical use. In fact, some drivers have gotten confused about the use of traffic cameras in areas where it is legally allowed. So much so that many are quick to raise the alarm when they see new additions installed at or near intersections, especially if they are located in a certain traffic area. This has happened in cities in Missouri and New Jersey in recent years due to the presence of white squares hanging near traffic lights. Some even fear that they may be equipped with radar guns or cameras to collect personal information against their wishes.

It seems that those fears are not entirely correct, as the local officials of each municipality confirm that the white square or wavy boxes are not designed to track or enforce traffic violations. Instead, those boxes are designed to help with traffic flow and make the intersections they contain a little safer. Yes, and they collect information, just not what you might think.

We’ll address that last question first, lest you start to fear that Big Brother is tracking everything you do with those white boxes. That doesn’t seem to be the case, with Springfield, Missouri, Transportation Engineer Tom Dancey saying the boxes aren’t there to collect data on certain vehicles passing under them at intersections. Instead, he told KY3, the data being collected is only for tracking, “traffic or traffic statistics,” with information used to help ease gridlock by changing road signs in affected areas.

Appropriately, a representative from the New Jersey DOT appeared to support that concept a decade ago, telling NJ.com that the boxes “communicate via radio waves about traffic volume and other parameters in their locations.” With the information gained, traffic signals could, in theory, be extended or shortened during peak traffic times to help traffic flow, providing the same function as some of those black boxes you might see at intersections.

As it happens, there are two different types of white boxes at some intersections, some designed to work like the old induction sensors, which were buried inside the roads as a way to warn traffic signals that a car was approaching, or waiting unnecessarily at a red light. The new sensors can pick up a car up to 500 feet away, and can hold the light for a few seconds to allow the car to safely pass through the intersection. Some can even help clear the intersection for oncoming emergency vehicles.