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The simplicity of the traffic signal reminds us that sometimes the most basic of ideas are the foundation of maintaining civilization. There have been changes to the traffic signal over the years but the success of this three-light system is undeniable. The color scheme has mostly stayed the same and the rules are the same. Some would argue that in a black and white and a very heavily grayed world, the red, yellow and green color scheme is completed underrated.
The traffic color scheme comes from the railroad industry. When 14,000-22,000-ton vehicles need to stop, you have to give a clear signal. According to Autoevolution.com, the color red was chosen, as it “symbolizes a dangerous situation that could have serious consequences if ignored, red has always been the main choice for all traffic lights across the world in order to force approaching vehicles stop and thus avoid potential collisions.” It has worked since the 1830s and still works today.
Yellow is the most visible of all colors for the human eye, but was not in the initial traffic color scheme. Green was considered the cautionary color (green is linked to nature, growth and calmness) and white was the color for go. This trial and error in selecting white resulted in accidents, so the railroad decided to change the green light to mean go and yellow to be the cautionary warning.*
So how does a colorblind person navigate traffic? Research indicates there is not color in light. It’s all in how your brain processes it. Take this definition from physicsclassroom.com:
“Light is simply a wave with a specific wavelength or a mixture of wavelengths; it has no color in and of itself. An object that is emitting or reflecting light to our eye appears to have a specific color as the result of the eye-brain response to the wavelength. So technically, there is really no such thing as yellow light.”
The absence of true colored light means colorblind drivers have to learn which color light requires which action. For them, it has nothing to do with naming the colors, but associating appropriate responses. Worldwide, colorblindness affects 8% of all men and .5% of all women.** Some traffic signals have been slightly altered to accommodate colorblind drivers, but the crux remains the same. This color scheme is known and followed. It’s like an incredibly effective logo that has passed down through the generations; but before you cast the traffic color scheme as the successful soft-drink logo of its genre, consider this. In 2014, there were 253 million cars and trucks on American roads. The traffic signal, in its red, yellow and green simplicity, keeps us all running.
Melissa Hardin Baysinger
