Street lights turning off when you pass them.

[jesspy]

So a friend just told me that when she walks by street lights they seem to turn off. After she has passed them they turn back on again. Has this happened to anyone else?

[BrooklynGuy]

Lots of street lights are on timers and sensitive to sunlight and car headlights. That being said maybe your friend just lights up place where ever she goes.

[Ealdwita]

I used to date a girl whose face could stop a clock!

[Wickian]

I had a friend in high school who claimed to somehow broke every computer(blue screened) he was in contact with for two days. I only saw one of them from a school computer myself, so who knows.

[JinxDeMynx]

Motion sensor.

[jamesjr191]

Search for street lights in the forums. theres many people think they are special and physic controlling the street lamps of the world. The need to make their own club with a secret password and decoder ring!

Edited December 18, 2014 by jamesjr191

[ChrLzs]

So a friend just told me that when she walks by street lights they seem to turn off. After she has passed them they turn back on again. Has this happened to anyone else?

Yep, covered several times, eg here, from which I quote a very educated member of this forum ( ) who explains it. It is almost certainly NOT a real effect..

{quote}

This is something I've actually put a bit of thought into (yes, bored..).. I believe it's nothing magic - just a series of facts that cause us to be aware of faulty street lights ONLY when we are near them. By their nature many types of street lights (esp sodium vapour I believe - corrections welcome) as they age will run for a while, then overheat and turn off. Then after they cool, they turn back on and repeat the cycle. I've watched one do it - the cycle took about 15 minutes..

Now THINK about that. First, it's common (I can prove that - there are at least two of them within walking distance from me, and I'll video them if necessary...).

Second, when you are out walking or driving, you are continually seeing myriads of street lights, some close but most distant. And as you move, the distant ones frequently get obscured by things and then reappear, so your mind doesn't even bother noticing that - why should it? You are used to streetlamps *at a distance* apparently going on and off. But what happens when you are very close..? - suddenly you actually see them going off (or on) as they are in your direct field of view and of course the illumination in the area changes noticeably. That doesn't happen when they are away from you...

So..

1. street lights that go on and off are quite common.

2. You will only notice that happening when you are very close to them.

It seems to me that if you put 1 and 2 together and add in a little imagination and a desire to believe that you can affect them.. it's little wonder there are such reports..

I strongly suspect that if the 'observers' of this phenomena took the time to investigate, eg hang around that light and see what happens over a half hour or so.. they will find out it wasn't their presence. But who wants to do that? Much more fun to believe you have .. the power!!

For anyone who seriously believes they cause it, how's about documenting it via a video showing the behavior of the light when you are near it, and then when you back away a hundred meters or so..

{endquote}

Edited December 18, 2014 by ChrLzs

[Tira]

This happens to me all the time. I just assumed it was coincidence.

[Maureen_jacobs]

It used to happen to me when I was younger. Now, not so much.

I think that the situation is that once we notice a defunct or possibly flickering light, our eyes notice it more. We remember it and when it does it again we assume it's our fault.

[bison]

There's one of these street light directly in front of my home, that turns on an off repeatedly in cycles of a minute or two. No one need be walking or driving near it, for this to happen. There was also one on a nearby street that seemed to go off when I walked under it. Just to check this out, I walked away and stood a good way off, watching. The light came back on, then turned off again, and continued to cycle on and off. These sodium and mercury vapor lamps are rather temperamental beasts!

[Crabby Kitten]

It happens to me but the streetlights act like this when their power is low.

[Ashley UwU]

Yessss, mostly right before driving past passing them. o.o

Edited December 29, 2014 by Corsicaiscute

[Davros of Skaro]

Yes an aged Ballast or faulty Photo Resistor will do that and not People.

[kyleness]

This happens to me. im not sure the authors friend believes they control the lights. I would like to know the probability of a light changing the exact moment one passes our approaches it. It happens with street lamps and traffic lights. As soon as i pull up, the three light system switches to blinking. I'm big into synchronicity so i think about it from that angle. Its much like the effect portrayed in the matrix. It does feel like witnessing a glitch in the matrix. Dejavu

[ChrLzs]

{edited}

The only way to work out a probability is to record the light's activity, preferably by video-recording it so you have the raw data. For traffic light sequences that would be pretty easy to do, but for a failing light, the on/off timing will likely vary over time and with temperature and atmospherics..

It would be great if those who still believe there is something going on due to their presence, to actually document it.

I repeat (see my earlier post for details)

1. street lights that go on and off are quite common.

2. You will only notice that happening when you are very close to them.

As human brains are tuned to look for anything coincidental or unusual or patterned, you will tend to lock on to that coincidence and look for it again and again, without noticing the times it *doesn't* happen.

Edited December 29, 2014 by ChrLzs

[rrk]

I've had this happen to me many times but haven't mentioned it to anyone, just didn't want to sound like I was going over to the dark side lol

[skookum]

I saw this happen Saturday night/Sunday morning at work. A person walked under the lights (a series of 3) and each one dimmed then came to fall strength. I was convinced I was witnessing some strange powers.

About an hour later I took a smoke break and saw the lights do it in sequence again however this time nobody was about, then again a few minutes later. What I was really witnessing was a fault on the light grid.