 here in georgia it's legal to run a red light in any direction after you've "waited an appropriate amount of time". about the hard drive, the platters are the only magnetic components. the head is electrical. i don't think either would produce the desired effect. traffic light detectors are basically big metal detector coils from what i understand. since our bikes don't have a lot of metal (at least relative to a car), something would have to simulate the induction caused. what comes to mind is another coil. this may be exactly what they have in those little boxes they sell. i'd love to bust one open. C