What You Should Do When You See Black Cables on the Road – The Surprising Truth Behind Those Mysterious Rubber Strips

🚗 What Are Those Black Cables on the Road?

Those black rubber strips are traffic-counting tubes, used by transportation departments and traffic engineers. They are temporary devices placed across roads to collect data about vehicle movement.

When a car drives over the tube, it creates a small burst of air that sends a signal to a recording device on the roadside.

📊 What Information Do They Collect?

These rubber tubes help authorities gather important data such as:

• Number of vehicles passing through
• Traffic flow patterns
• Speed estimates
• Time of day traffic peaks
• Vehicle classification (in some setups)

This information helps cities and transportation agencies make decisions about road safety, traffic lights, speed limits, and future road improvements.

⚠️ What Should You Do When You See Them?

The good news: you don’t need to do anything special.

• Drive normally
• Maintain your lane
• Follow posted speed limits
• Do not swerve or brake suddenly

The tubes are designed to be safe for all vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and bicycles.

❌ Common Myths About Road Tubes

Many myths surround these black cables, including:

• They damage your tires (they don’t)
• They are speed traps (they aren’t)
• They are electrical hazards (they’re not)
• They record personal information (they don’t)

These devices collect anonymous traffic data only.