An Ohio state lawmaker has introduced a measure that would prohibit a device that can change some traffic signals from red to green.

A traffic-light changer is designed to allow police, fire and other emergency officials to clear intersections before they approach. But some drivers have managed to purchase them on the Internet for as low as $100, according to published reports.

People can even buy kits and build the signal changer themselves.

HB406, sponsored by Rep. Jeff Wagner, R-Sycamore, is intended to deter anyone other than public safety and transit agencies from using the so-called mobile infrared transmitters, or MIRTs.

Under the bill, unauthorized use could result in a fine of not more than $1,000, while simply possessing a device could cost violators $250.

The devices, which sit on a vehicle’s dash, are not regulated by current federal standards because they rely on a beam of light instead of a radio wave to trigger the light-changing mechanisms that have been attached to some intersections.

A recent U.S. Department of Transportation survey showed the devices are in use at 26,500 intersections in 78 cities across the country.

Last October, U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine, R-OH, introduced the Safe Intersections Act of 2003, prohibiting the sale or possession of the signal changers. His bill would make the sale of the transmitter to unauthorized users illegal with a fine of up to $10,000 and possible jail time.

Similar proposals have also been introduced in at least 15 state legislatures around the country.