Audi is apparently working on a system that many South African drivers already have at their command in a certain sense: a traffic light recognition system that would allow drivers to tell when a light is about to change.

Drivers in Johannesburg already have this ability when it comes to pulling off from an intersection the split-second the light turns green but Audi’s system, powered by Audi Online, would be official in that it would gather light change information from the central computer that controls traffic lights in a given city.

Light information is shown on the vehicle’s Driver Information Display and it isn’t intended to just give drivers a head-start, though that’s what we’d use it for.

The traffic light tracking system could also be used to save fuel by making adjustments to the car’s consumption in anticipation of a change when the car is at an intersection. Drivers would also be warned whether a green light they are approaching will change before they arrive, potentially limiting situations when drivers are forced to jump a light because they haven’t slowed down enough.

The system is reportedly being tested at the moment, in Berlin, Verona and Las Vegas, but there are no signs when the company will release this feature to the public.

Source: Motor Authority