So a bill outlawing devices that provide that capability zoomed through the Kansas legislature and was signed by the governor in little more than three weeks. "I think everybody realized that if this was in the hands of private citizens what a potential problem it would cause," says Representative David Huff, who sponsored the measure.
For years, emergency vehicles in Kansas have used the gadgets, which transmit an infrared beam to a receiver on top of a traffic-signal pole and can change a stoplight within seconds. But the private purchase of stoplight changers increased when a Kansas City television station reported how they could be easily obtained on the Internet for about $300.
Traffic logs in the cities of Lenexa, Olathe and Overland Park show that unauthorized vehicles have preempted street signals on a number of recent occasions. Local officials are responding by "locking out" the Internet-purchased tools and programming codes into traffic systems and emergency vehicles that private drivers cannot access.
Nevertheless, the "lock out" codes are compatible only with newer types of traffic equipment, so Huff decided to push for an immediate ban. Similar laws have been proposed in California, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
