Patent ID: 7466227

Claim:
An apparatus, comprising: a wireless signal message generator co-located with and operatively coupled to at least one traffic signal light; an on-board vehicle signal alert system having a wireless signal message receiver, a GPS receiver that receives GPS (global positioning system) signals, and an alert service module operatively coupled to the wireless signal message receiver and to the GPS receiver; the signal message generator outputting to the wireless signal message receiver at least one traffic signal message indicative of a location of the traffic signal and a current light status of the at least one traffic signal; and an onboard alarm that is activated by the alert service module as a function of a received at least one traffic signal message and at least one received GPS signal; and the wireless signal message generator having a predetermined broadcast range, which is predetermined as a function of the location of the traffic signal light and velocities of vehicles relative to the at least one traffic signal light.