Cellphone Signals Help Fight Traffic

While many citizens think that cell phones and driving don’t mix, several state transportation agencies, such as Maryland and Virginia, would disagree and are monitoring traffic with cell phone signals. The New York Times reports that agencies are starting to test technology that can track cell phone signals and map them against road grids. However, the technology has raised the hackles of privacy advocates because it means that government agencies, private companies and law enforcement can use cell phones as tracking devices. In its current state, the system can monitor large clusters of phones, not individual ones, and provides a constantly updated picture of traffic flow across an entire region. Read more.

By Paul L. Kerstein