who knows? DON'T LOOK AT ME FOR AN ANSWER... it's my question :)
2006-07-26 18:31:40 · 17 answers · asked by JayneDoe 5 in Cars & Transportation ➔ Safety
The newest traffic lights use LEDs instead of lightbulbs. LEDs have a service life of 10 - 20 years and there are 50 or so LEDs in each lamp assembly. The whole thing will usually wear out before enough of the LEDs fail to render it inoperable.
Older ones typically use two light bulbs in each light unit. They are changed on a routine schedule so it's unusual to find one where both are burned out.
2006-07-26 20:57:52 · answer #1 · answered by Bostonian In MO 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Traffic Light Bulbs
2017-01-01 08:06:59 · answer #2 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have a 1924 GE Light Bulb that still works. Least the house it came out of had Electricity Installed in it in 1924 and this bulb is OLD.
The Filaments on light bulbs use to last long time, but the manufacters figured that out, selling more lamps than bulbs not a good idea. So the Timed Filament was implemented.
Ever look at a box of bulbs today, some say 1300hrs, some say 10 years! Well just figure if a company can make a $5 bulb for you and I that lasts for 10 years and costs $10, well a City.County,State,Federal bulb will be $3589.99 each. Same bulb, different contract.
Yes they burn out, or expire. or Fail to Execute, but there are like $3million in Computerized Monitors that tell the Maintenance Person to send the County Jail Inmate out to fix it.
Cost to you for one light bulb? about $5000.00each.
2006-07-26 18:46:17 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ok, here's the deal...
traffic signal bulbs WILL burn out...if given the chance.
What happens is the Traffic Department in your city knows just how long those bulbs will last before they expire so, they send trucks around during the night when the roads aren't so busy and replace the bulbs BEFORE their expected life-span expires.
In other words, the bulbs are changed while they are still working so they don't have the chance to burn out.
Pretty cool, eh?
2006-07-26 18:37:43 · answer #4 · answered by GeneL 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The older style traffic lights do burn out, though it is seldom seen. The bulbs they use are specialty bulbs. They are not the same as you use in your house. They are designed to operate on higher voltage, and since the use less energy and don't get as hot, they last longer. The newer lights actually operate on even less energy, employing diode technology. That's why they look like there are "trillions" of little itty bitty lights up there; well, there aren't really that many, but there can be as high as 200 little diodes for each color light.
2006-07-26 18:40:14 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
They not only burn out, and after not too many hours of use. That is a major expense to maintain them That is why now you are seeing many being replaced with the led clusters instead of a lamp. The leds run on a much lower current and have a much greater life span. Hence they draw less current so cost less to operate and several individual leds can go out before the cluster needs to be replaced.
2006-07-26 18:43:26 · answer #6 · answered by Dusty 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They burn out... you just never see it. I've seen them up there fixing it and I've seen them die. Here I think when one goes out they all do so the light is just plain out and you have to treat it as a 4 way stop.
2006-07-26 20:46:47 · answer #7 · answered by ♫ Abby ♫ 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sure they burn out. They're just usually replaced before they get a chance to.
2006-07-26 18:34:51 · answer #8 · answered by Timothy W 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In Europe, they are gradually being replaced by LED lamps, which don't burn out.
2006-07-27 07:51:48 · answer #9 · answered by Blazs (Skoda 120GL) 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
They do. Usually some cop or city worker calls dispatch and it is fixed ASAP. Hopefully before an accident.
2006-07-26 18:36:01 · answer #10 · answered by Rare Indigo 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋