Man Accused of Changing Traffic Lights

[Roses]

Mon Apr 17, 6:14 PM ET


A man who said he bought a device that let him change traffic lights from red to green has received a $50 ticket on suspicion of interfering with a traffic signal.

Jason Niccum of Longmont told the Daily Times-Call that the device, which he bought on eBay for $100, helped him cut his time driving to work.

"I guess in the two years I had it, that thing paid for itself," he told the newspaper Wednesday.

Niccum was cited March 29 after police said they found him using a strobe-like device to change traffic signals.

"I'm always running late," police quoted Niccum as saying in an incident report.

The device, called an Opticon, is similar to what firefighters use to change lights when they respond to emergencies. It emits an infrared pulse that receivers on the traffic lights pick up.

Niccum was cited after city traffic engineers who noticed repeated traffic-light disruptions on certain intersections spotted a white Ford pickup passing by whenever the light patterns were disrupted.

City traffic engineer Joe Olson said traffic engineers plan to update the city's Opticon system this year to block unauthorized light-changing signals.

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Information from: Daily Times-Call, http://www.longmontfyi.com


Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.


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[Roses]

I found this to be quite disturbing especially if several people are changing the traffic lights, especially in an emergency situation.

[Whitewolf]

50 bucks????? WTH?? Can the fine be HIGHER? Like $50,000? Because it's dangerous and what if something went bonker with full of vehicle accidents when he uses it? OR can he spend many days in jail?