A system for generating a warning message before a traffic signal changes to a red light state, comprising: a red light warning server system including an operating system program and a processor operable under control of the operating system, and further including an analysis program executable by the processor; a communications interface coupled to the server system and specially configured for communications with a central traffic management center to download a signal timing plan for a given traffic signal to the server system, and to download current signal state data to the server system, wherein the current signal state data includes a current signal state for each phase of said given traffic signal; the communications interface further arranged to receive prediction data (760, 1002) of the signal state of said given traffic signal; the communications interface further coupled to the server system to enable transmitting a red light warning message to a downstream system; the analysis program stored in machine-readable memory accessible to the server system for execution in the processor and configured to analyze the stored signal timing plan thus forming derived rules per signal that include (a) identification of predicted state changes that are certain to occur; (b) identification of state changes that begin a fixed-time interval signal control event; and (c) identification of state changes; and a warning message component also stored in machine-readable memory accessible to the server system for execution in the processor to process the incoming prediction data using said derived rules and the current signal state data to generate the red light warning message for transmission to the downstream system. a red light warning server system including an operating system program and a processor operable under control of the operating system, and further including an analysis program executable by the processor; a communications interface coupled to the server system and specially configured for communications with a central traffic management center to download a signal timing plan for a given traffic signal to the server system, and to download current signal state data to the server system, wherein the current signal state data includes a current signal state for each phase of said given traffic signal; the communications interface further arranged to receive prediction data (760, 1002) of the signal state of said given traffic signal; the communications interface further coupled to the server system to enable transmitting a red light warning message to a downstream system; the analysis program stored in machine-readable memory accessible to the server system for execution in the processor and configured to analyze the stored signal timing plan thus forming derived rules per signal that include (a) identification of predicted state changes that are certain to occur; (b) identification of state changes that begin a fixed-time interval signal control event; and (c) identification of state changes; and a warning message component also stored in machine-readable memory accessible to the server system for execution in the processor to process the incoming prediction data using said derived rules and the current signal state data to generate the red light warning message for transmission to the downstream system.