Obviously, if the lights are not melting snow, motorists are going to have trouble seeing the signals after a storm. So far, this problem has resulted in dozens of accidents and at least one death. Solutions are being tested in several states that range from weather shields to heating elements to water-repellent coatings. In the meantime, city crews must continue to stay on top of the problem and dust off the lights by hand. [Yahoo]

Mercedes-Benz is experimenting with this very scenario at their R&D facility in Palo Alto.

Using a smart intersection, the light essentially communicates with the car. And if the driver still isn't responsive to, say, brake after several warnings of a red light, the car can stop itself. (Start the clip around 50 seconds in for the full demo.)

Mercedes-Benz admits that, though the technology is "almost there," we're still a decade out from its deployment. After all, every stoplight in America would need an upgrade to smart intersection status (for which there are no agreed standards). Plus, given that these intersections would cost money that would surely be lost through less tickets, it's hard to imagine where the money will come from.

So what do you think? Is this a handy safety feature or a limit on our human rights to break the law? [BBG]

Stefano Arrighetti, 45, the engineer in charge for programming the T-Redspeed system which is used throughout Italy, is being accused of rigging traffic lights to have shorter yellow lights, causing more motorists to inadvertently speed through red lights. Because the system uses three strategically placed cameras around the intersection, the T-Redspeed system was able to capture exact 3D placement of where the motorists' cars were the moment it illegally crosses through the intersection, instantly fining them with a €150 ticket.

The police uncovered this conspiracy after they noticed that the numbers of traffic-light violations had dramatically increased too much—1,439 for the last two months—in such a short period of time. After a little more digging, they found that 300 municipalities and other companies around Italy allegedly have been splitting the revenues amongst themselves made by these wrongfully issued tickets.

According to his lawyers, Arrighetti retains his innocence and is a "genius whom the world envies." He is currently under house arrest as this investigation is still pending. [Ars Technica]

There's no evidence to suggest it currently transmits a signal from car to the traffic light, one that could perhaps tell it to turn green when you approach. Audi did leave that open ended, though, saying in its press statement:

The experimental ‘Travolution’ system...will not only improve synchronisation and phasing of traffic light networks to reduce stopping times, but could also dramatically reduce the number of actual stops needed by creating a communications link between cars and the traffic light network.

It's still not clear what happens in unexpected traffic, and Travolution definitely doesn't tell you what to do when the grandma in front of you doesn't also happen to have a specially outfitted A5 or A6 Avant. If enough lights are rigged up, though, I'm sure a portable version could be designed so even jalopies could get a shot at winning the sequenced-light game. [Jalopnik]