THE TECHNOLOGY

A system for a vehicle indicating a change in phase of a traffic light comprising providing information about the signal phase and timing (SPAT) of the traffic light generated by the traffic light or by a separate signal generator, the system comprising an edge device to receive SPAT messages from the traffic light or signal generator and to use information about the location of the vehicle relative the traffic light to issue to issue an alert when the timing of the signal phase indicates that the vehicle is either approaching the traffic light or is not moving at the traffic light, and that the phase of the traffic light will be changing within a predetermined time.

The present application can be referred to as a distracted driver alert application (DDA Application”), which enhances the foregoing systems. One enhancement is the downloading of position data monolithically (e.g., all the data within a predetermined radius), so that the device will not be required to poll the data server continuously. In one embodiment of the invention, the DDA Application maintains a local cache/database of the locations of traffic lights, or other points of interest POIs on the device so that alerts can be generated immediately. The DDA Application can query the user to update the local cache/database of POIs each time the DDA Application starts up, or it can automatically request smaller incremental updates during operation. In another embodiment of the invention, information about a traffic signal is generated by the traffic light itself, or by a nearby signal generator. Information about the location of the traffic light (MAP data) is generated as well as information about the signal phasing and timing (SPAT), the former being static, the latter being dynamic. MAP and SPAT data can also be obtained from commercial or governmental sources. The technology of the DDA Application can save lives. The DDA Application can wirelessly communicate the signal phase and timing of a light and has a “Countdown to Green” voice warning.