SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR VIRTUAL TRAFFIC LIGHTS IMPLEMENTED ON A MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE

Disclosed herein is an implementation of a Virtual Traffic Lights (VTL) application implemented as an app on a mobile computing device in which online mapping services provide information necessary to determine a lead vehicle among one or more vehicles approaching an intersection. The lead vehicle controls status of virtual traffic lights at the intersection. The information retrieved from in the online mapping service may be used to determine whether vehicles approaching intersection are moving closer or farther apart from each other, the direction of travel of the vehicles, the geographic location of the intersection, and the distance between each vehicle and the geographic location of the intersection.