pressure pad

pressure pad (plural pressure pads)

1. (medicine) A piece of padding used to relieve soreness caused by constant pressure, such as bedsores.
2. A soft padded sensor that responds to pressure.
3. (colloquial) An induction loop sensor that detects when vehicles are stopped at traffic lights (commonly believed to sense the weight of the vehicle).
   • 2021 February, The Road Ahead, Brisbane, page 8, column 3:

     I believe there were pressure pads embedded in the road to monitor the amount of traffic.