What are the Little black box's on top of traffic lights are they sensors or cameras?

The sit on top of lights facing front of car and are about the size of childs shoe box and have black perspex on the front my mate and i have been trying having this discussion for years i think they are just sensors he thinks they are red light cameras and i also think if the roads quiet and you flash your lights at them they change quicker can anybody tell me what they are and who is rightWhat are the Little black box's on top of traffic lights are they sensors or cameras?
ok mate i can put your mind at rest i work on the roads fixing camreas and traffic lights so when they go down we are the guys who fix them right lets get to the point they are sensors send out a beam which goes out over 5mtres and when the last car gets to or over the 5metres mark the lights will trip to green but the hick up is that when you flash your lights at them they dont trip , there is a other sensor built in which detects blue lights so when a emergancey services are goen through with blue lights on they trip to green agian. when there is a speed camrea on them they are usually on there own and you can see them painted in yellow and there must be a sign sayen so. all the traffic lights are diffrent mate you can have one with and airal on it that means its the master one damage that the rest will go out so in other words you wont get a ticket its only a sensor now you can go back to you mate and tell him that you have just had a triffic light lesson on yahoo answers lol
u know, i had this argument the other day. A friend had told me that they were sensors installed so that when emergency vehicles drive through, they sense the flashing lights and change to green so that the vehicle can get through safely. Of course, this brings up other questions like, "can they sense flashing lights when it's light outside?" Maybe when its bright out its easier for other cars to see and therefore will stop on account of the law in order to let the vehicle through, not because the light is red. I didn't believe this and so the other day at night, i flashed my brights while at a red light and the light changed...coincidence?What are the Little black box's on top of traffic lights are they sensors or cameras?
I THINK THEY'RE FOR TRAFFIC CONTROL OR SPEEDING.



DON'T REALLY KNOW BUT THEY REMIND ME OF BIG BROTHER!
they are cameras to catch you smoking, talking on phone , chucking rubbish, wearing a seat belt, to see if you,ve got that look about you that you might speed,, and if you are in possesion of an ugly woman your car will be taken and destroyed immediatley and your licence taken away

hope this helpsWhat are the Little black box's on top of traffic lights are they sensors or cameras?
They are Opticom systems to change the lights to red when activated by a Fire engine, Ambulance, Police car.
typically they are sensors to detect traffic and the need for the light to change.
They are not cameras I accidentally ran a red light at one never got a ticket.
Some are red light cams for tickets, others are for evaluating traffic flow.
The sensor boxes are usually for buses but can be used by emergency vehicles.
i'm pretty sure they're sensors thats quite a random question hehe oh well
I think that they are sensors. Shouldn't cameras that flash when you go over a red light be very visable ie. yellow? I'm sure that is the case.
They are sensors to detect traffic and keep it flowing, you also see them on pedestrian crossings (puffin %26amp; toucan)to ensure there are no pedestrians on the road before the lights change to green.
They can be a couple of things. They may be sensors that see the flashing light on emergency vehicles and change the light. They can also be sensors that detect if cars are present to control the signal timing, just like the embedded wires.



Red light cameras are usually larger and there should be a warning sign.
they are sensors....my husband is an electrician and installs them. it wont change by flashing your lights at it.
They are sensors and also timers to keep the traffic flowing ,one senors tell the other if the traffic is queueing at the lights .
The truth is that they are little cameras. My neighbor and my family are really close and he works for the government (I can't say what because I don't know!). One day we were in the car and I noticed those and I asked him. He said they are little cameras that are programmed to go one at certain days and hours. If the cameras pick up something suspicious they can turn on automatically, which is probably what is going on in your case. He said that they are everywhere in about 45 states because the others have not approved it yet.
I am sure they are sensors to help traffic flow and are not cameras because my friend went through them in an emergency and he didnt get any sort of punishment.
they are not cameras they are p.i.r. detectors (passive infra red) to change according to traffic flow ( like outside flood lights come on when you walk down your drive)

these are different to red light cameras, these couldnt flash you going through as you would be past the camera!

red lght cameras are identicle to speed cameras only they usually have 2 or more that flash similtaniously to catch all angles and the driver!
I would say camera, we have them all over here.
Red light cameras have to be clearly marked. Those black boxes are sensors.
The black boxes are the Emergency Vehicle Override boxes. They are infra-red sensors that pick up a coded signal Ambulances %26amp; such can send out to change the light to green if it would help them get through the intersection.



There was a news segement on them Here in Houston, Tx. Some guy who used to work for the company that made them stole a transmitter and was using it to speed up his commute (causing LOTS of BAD cross traffic). Turns out it's illegal to "interfere with the proper operation of a traffic signal", even if You can...
there not camera's?
They are sensors, they detect when there is a flow of traffic from a certain direction so if there is no traffic from the left then the light what detects traffic will stay green. You can set lights to detect which uses the sensors or you can set them to timed which does exactly that.... From someone who goes round the country repairing lights.....
They are sensors ,they regulate the lights to the low of traffic .