What Parts Work Together?

How do traffic lights coordinate to keep traffic flowing smoothly? Several parts work together to make this happen. First, sensors in the road detect when cars are waiting at intersections. These sensors communicate with the traffic lights, letting them know when cars are present. The traffic controller, which is like the brain of the system, decides when to change the lights based on the information it receives. Each light has a cycle it follows, changing from green to yellow to red. If the sensors or controllers aren't working, traffic may get stuck, like a jumble of cars all at once.

🔧 Try This: Pretend you are a traffic light! Use red, green, and yellow objects to represent the lights. Practice changing the lights in the correct order. What do you notice?