Ever wonder how police, firefighters and ambulances get to the places they're needed quickly in big, busy cities? In some cities, it's because they can change traffic lights to green with the push of a button. This technology is all well and good - but not when it gets in the hands of civilians.
On March 29, in Longmount, Colorado, a man named Jason Niccum was pulled over and cited for numerous patterns of disruption at traffic lights. Every time there was a problem with traffic lights, the same Ford pickup was seen at the scene. It turns out that Niccum was in the truck and was using traffic-light-changing technology similar to that used by police, firefighters and paramedics to manipulate the lights.
Niccum purchased the device he was using, which is called an Opticon, for $100 dollars on eBay. Obviously, whoever sold Niccum the Opticon was in the wrong just as much as Niccum was for buying it, but the reason Niccum bought the device in the first place is ridiculous. Niccum said he bought the Opticon so he could get to work faster.
Now, if I'm not mistaken, everyone who has to drive to work probably wants to make the trip faster and easier. I wish I had a button on my dashboard that would make all the lights green, tell me when I'm speeding, when a police officer is around and clear the traffic in my way. Unfortunately, there isn't a way for me to get everything I want in this case, but apparently I could illegally buy a device that would at least make the lights green.
It probably wouldn't be smart for me to follow Niccum's lead and buy an Opticon, though. The penalties for illegal technology that changes traffic lights are probably too harsh for me to even begin to consider finding and purchasing an Opticon. The truth, unfortunately, isn't quite so harsh.
Niccum was given a $50 ticket and the Opticon was confiscated. All in all, Niccum spent $150 and made his drive to work much faster because he had the God-like power to change red to green with the push of a button. Not a bad investment, if your drive to work is too horrible to stand.
The penalties for a crime this serious should be a lot worse, but apparently law enforcement officials think otherwise.
The way this situation was handled has some obvious problems. First, Niccum shouldn't have been able to get the device and use it in the first place. Also, the sale shouldn't have been allowed on eBay. Finally, the punishment should have been more severe.
I'm willing to bet there are more than a few people out there who would take the same route Niccum took if given the chance. If an average citizen could spend $100 on an Opticon and only have to worry about a $50 ticket as punishment if caught, most would probably go for it. I would even consider it, if I thought I could get away with it.
So how should we make sure technology similar to the Opticon doesn't get into the wrong hands? The punishment needs to be much more than a measly $50 ticket. We could take away licenses, make it harder to get insurance, require community service or jail time. It might seem a extreme but no average citizen should be able to use technology like this. Personally, I wouldn't even consider purchasing the Opticon if the punishment were more severe.
There is good news though - as a result of Niccum's case, the city's Opticon system is going to be redesigned to prevent similar situations in the future.
Hopefully other cities will follow suit.
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