WAKE COUNTY, N.C. — Officials with the state Department of Transportation used to let their fingers do the counting. They are now counting traffic, the modern way.

DOT officials are using what is called an inductive loop system. The traffic sensors look like duct tape squares in the road. Engineers fasten them to the pavement, leave them out for a week, then bring them back to the shop and download the information.

Aside from counting cars, they can also be set to measure speed and can even record whether it is a car or truck.

The DOT has installed 100 permanent inductive loop sites statewide. Traffic engineers will still use people and pneumatic tube counters.

The DOT sends the traffic count information to the federal government. The federal government then uses the counts to determine how much federal funding comes to North Carolina.