Things are once again becoming active on the highway safety front. I find it amazing how many different views there are on certain issues within the field of highway safety. No matter how hard we in the emergency service world try, we cannot seem to reach the general public.

Our Project Manager Steve Austin recently wrote an excellent commentary on a matter of great concern to all emergency responders. It is now appearing on www.Firehouse.com. I am referring to the issue of rogue traffic preemption devices. It seems that there is a movement afoot among every day citizens, who are not emergency responders, to buy these devices for their own personal vehicles.

I, for one, am well aware of the importance of these devices to emergency responders. Our fire district has installed these devices on all of the major intersections in our response area. We have even had one installed in a neighboring mutual aid community. They allow us to stop the traffic in these intersections and move through them with greater ease and safety. However, like any other special purpose device, they must be used judiciously and with great care. This is particularly true in a right-turn-on-red state like New Jersey.

In his Firehouse.com commentary, Steve states that, "...Preemption devices for traffic signals have proliferated in the past several years. Recently technology has been developed to mass produce rogue control devices that are finding their way into personal vehicles." He goes on to write that, "Controllers for preemption devices are routinely appearing in auctions on the internet. Ads often include a disclaimer that they are only for sale to authorized users."

I have personally seen a television report on this important subject on the Philadelphia NBC affiliate. That was my first exposure to this 'rogue' phenomenon. I was shocked to say the least that people who had no emergency response responsibilities were being allowed to buy this device. Has our society become so impatient that waiting at traffic lights is more than we can stand?

This issue has come to the attention of the United States Senate. Steve tells us that, "...U.S. Senator Mike DeWine (OH-R) thinks illegal traffic signal preemption devices pose a danger to emergency responders and the driving public. He's right. That is why DeWine, a leader for highway safety and a friend of the fire service in the Senate submitted S.1825, the Safe Intersection Act of 2003. The bill seeks to prevent tragedies in an already dangerous environment for first responders, America's streets and highways. "

Steve goes on to report that, "S.1825 is Co-sponsored by Senator Diane Feinstein (CA-D) another strong supporter of fire service issues. The legislation makes owning or selling a device that controls traffic signals by or to unauthorized persons a misdemeanor with a penalty not to exceed a $10,000 fine and/or six months in jail. "As public access to mobile ... transmitters increases, we must act now to ensure the safety of those who travel our roads," said Senator DeWine. "My Safe Intersections Act will institute penalties in order to curb unauthorized sale and use of this technology originally intended for first responders." These seem like a reasonable way to deal with what could become a deadly issue on our highways.

Lest you think that our concerns are shared by all, our legal counsel, Howard Cohen, Esq., sent us a column published in the March issue of Car and Driver magazine. The article, written by Daniel Pund suggests that this is a non-issue. He purchased one of the devices and put it to a personal road test.

His tests of the device were apparently not conclusive and he suggested that the use of these devices was a non-issue. He suggested that our legislators had better things to do than to create the "Draconian penalties" being proposed in Michigan.

I must strongly disagree with his position. It is the very randomness of these devices that poses the danger. None of us will know who has these devices and when someone might choose to use them. How do those of us with legitimate devices know who might be lurking in our neighborhoods? We face a wide range of dangers each time we move out onto the highways of our nation. We do not need another, especially one so hidden and so unpredictable as these rogue traffic devices.

At least that is how we see it here at Respondersafety.com.