[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 159 (Wednesday, November 5, 2003)]
[Senate]
[Page S14043]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. DeWINE:
  S. 1825. A bill to amend title 18, United States Code, to provide 
penalties for the sale and use of unauthorized mobile infrared 
transmitters; to the Committee on the Judiciary.
  Mr. DeWINE. Mr. President, I rise today, to introduce the Safe 
Intersections Act of 2003. This bill would criminalize the unauthorized 
sale and possession of a mobile infrared transmitter, MIRT.
  A MIRT is a remote control for changing traffic signals. These 
devices have been used for years by ambulances, police cars, and fire 
trucks, allowing them to reach emergencies faster. As an ambulance 
approaches an intersection where the light is red, the driver engages 
the transmitter. That transmitter then sends a signal to a receiver on 
the traffic light, which changes to green within a few seconds. This is 
a very useful tool when properly used in emergency situations.
  In a 2002 survey, the U.S. Department of Transportation found that in 
the top 78 metropolitan areas, there are 24,683 traffic lights equipped 
with the sensors. In my home State of Ohio, there is a joint pilot 
project underway by the Washington Township Fire Department and the 
Dublin Police Department to install these devices. Other areas in Ohio 
where they are in use include Mentor, Twinsburg, Willoughby, and 
Westerville. Across the country, law enforcement officers, fire 
departments, and paramedics utilize this technology to make communities 
safer.
  However, recently it has come to light that this technology may be 
sold to unauthorized individuals--individuals who want to use this 
technology to bypass red lights during their commute or during their 
everyday driving. MIRT was never intended for this use. MIRT 
technology--in the hands of unauthorized users--could result in traffic 
problems, like gridlock, or even worse, accidents in which people are 
injured or killed.
  Let me quote from an ad that was recently posted on the Internet 
auction site, ``eBay'':

       Tired of sitting at endless red lights? Frustrated by 
     lights that turn from green to red too quickly, trapping you 
     in traffic? The MIRT light changer used by police and other 
     emergency vehicles Change the Traffic Signal Red to Green 
     [for] only $499.00. Traffic Signal Changing Devices--It's 
     every motorist's fantasy to be able to make a red traffic 
     light turn green without so much as easing off the 
     accelerator. The very technology that has for years allowed 
     fire trucks, ambulances and police cars to emergencies 
     faster--a remote control that changes traffic signals--is now 
     much cheaper and potentially accessible.

  This ad demonstrates the extent to which the potential widespread 
sale and possession of MIRT technology by drivers would be a hazard to 
public safety and must be stopped before it starts. That is why I am 
introducing the Safe Intersections Act of 2003. I encourage my 
colleagues to cosponsor this important piece of legislation.
  I ask unanimous consent that the legislation I have just introduced 
be printed in the appropriate place in the Record immediately following 
the conclusion of my remarks.
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