When out with another driver a few weeks back, he started to flash his lights & Red Traffic Lights■■? he said they have sensors in them■■? & too be fair they did seem to change.
But I did think he was talking [zb], BUT I have to admit to trying it a few times tho 
Now last night going through Leicester, I noticed a couple of other drivers doing the same!!!
Myth Magic or is it just luck??
wills
some lights have sensors usual at roadworks one way bridges etc
to be honest i did do this until recently but after reading another thread on here i decided i was making a bit of a fool so dont do it any more[ at least when i rember not too 
]
Yes, it’s mainly on temporary lights - if you look just above the actual lights, there’s a sensor sticking up - that’s what does it. If you put your lights on full beam it just gives the lights more warning of you approach. Fixed traffic lights don’t use them as they rely on sensors in the road.
wills:
When out with another driver a few weeks back, he started to flash his lights & Red Traffic Lights■■? he said they have sensors in them■■? & too be fair they did seem to change.But I did think he was talking [zb], BUT I have to admit to trying it a few times tho
Now last night going through Leicester, I noticed a couple of other drivers doing the same!!!
Myth Magic or is it just luck??
wills
wills:
When out with another driver a few weeks back, he started to flash his lights & Red Traffic Lights■■? he said they have sensors in them■■?
does he put cd’s in the front window too ?
Some of them do have sensors that pick up on vehicle headlights, I know of one set in particualar in Lincolnshire that do this because of the camber of the road, Its on and an almighty big hill and at night to prevent people screeching their clutches to get away from them they put the light sensors in.
Im not a traffic light engineer im only telling you what the Police Officer told me when he got in my taxi many years ago and it works on that set so yes there are some that operate when they pick up headlights, but most of them have either ground sensors or movement sensors.
Just remember before you start slagging me off the copper said it had them but it worked for me when i approached them.
yes it does work with some but i found only the roadworks ones.
I’m a bit sceptical about this one, I have heard of it but the sensors on T/lights are motion sensors similar in operation to your outside light at home that comes on as you approach, the fixed sequenced lights use a combination of motion sensors within the light head and road sensors that detect stationary traffic.
The lights that change as buses approach giving them priority rely on a unit in the bus signalling to the lights sensor.
tallyman:
Yes, it’s mainly on temporary lights - if you look just above the actual lights, there’s a sensor sticking up - that’s what does it. If you put your lights on full beam it just gives the lights more warning of you approach. Fixed traffic lights don’t use them as they rely on sensors in the road.
So they don’t work in daylight then■■?
They have infra red sensors on them, they just detect traffic pulling up in the same way a household alarm system detects intruders. Permanent ones also have inductive loops in the road that measure the magnetic field created by vehicles, the bigger the amount of traffic the bigger the mag field.
Most permanent ones also work via a computer program, you’ll often see a guy with a laptop standing by one of the cabinets tweeking it. It takes into account traffic flow at different times of the day and several sets of lights can be linked.
The temporary ones just work on an infra red sensor with a timer, the timer is set according to the distance between the heads And the time of day. ie. at 1am the lights will change very often as there is little traffic about.
Basically if you sit at a set of lights they will eventually change whether you flash your lights or not. Just if you happen to get there 5 sec before they were due to change anyway and flash your lights, you think wow that did it.
I think Very early temporary lights did work on a light sensor (we’re talking 70’s ones here), no one uses them now though. The idea has just stuck though.
If you look closely on the road as you approach a set of perm traffic lights you will see the thin black lines coming back from the lights and forming loops in the road.It is when these loops detect the presence of a vehicle that the lights change especially at the filter light etc.
Thanks for the replies, few different opinions on this one tho still watched a driver in front of me flashing his lights as he was coming up to traffic lights ( before the pressure pads ) & they were changing soon as the beam hit them!!!
:
wills
as an ex council worker(contradiction in terms 
)on the street light sideof things
the sensors on the top detect movement not light
on the temp ones they are ussually set up badly so they register the traffic they’ve just let through from the other side
dennisw1:
They have infra red sensors on them, they just detect traffic pulling up in the same way a household alarm system detects intruders. Permanent ones also have inductive loops in the road that measure the magnetic field created by vehicles, the bigger the amount of traffic the bigger the mag field.
Most permanent ones also work via a computer program, you’ll often see a guy with a laptop standing by one of the cabinets tweeking it. It takes into account traffic flow at different times of the day and several sets of lights can be linked.The temporary ones just work on an infra red sensor with a timer, the timer is set according to the distance between the heads And the time of day. ie. at 1am the lights will change very often as there is little traffic about.
Basically if you sit at a set of lights they will eventually change whether you flash your lights or not. Just if you happen to get there 5 sec before they were due to change anyway and flash your lights, you think wow that did it.
I think Very early temporary lights did work on a light sensor (we’re talking 70’s ones here), no one uses them now though. The idea has just stuck though.
Thats exactly what I was going to say… even down to the 70’s bit… 
All I can add is…
STOP FLASHING YOUR LIGHTS, IT DOES NOTHING…
Instead…
REV YOUR ENGINE OVER THE INDUCTIVE LOOPS / DIAMONDS…
It’s picking up the magnetic fields you vehicle produces from electrical items, such as the alternator, and spark plugs…
It won’t work quite as well in a Diesel, cuz you ain’t got spark plugs, but does still work in a lorry, cuz it’s soooo big…
Luv
Chrisie… 
almost, it works by the change in magnetic field.
The electrical systems do affect this, but mainly it’s amount of metal in the vehicle, putting a big chunk of metal (like a car or truck) on the loops affects the field on it’s own.
If you find yourself in a Diesel reliant Robin then you’re ■■■■■■.
[zb].
Umm what does that mean please ? 
It can mean you’re ■■■■■■ or shagged or buggered, or up ■■■■ creek with out a paddle.
If you did have a Robin (or a Rialto or Regal) you’d be best off walking anyway