Even as a kid sitting in your parent's car, you probably learned what every color of a traffic light meant. You knew that green meant to go, yellow meant to slow down, and red meant to stop. There are a few additional details to each of these lights that every driver should know.
What Is the History of the Traffic Light?
The very first traffic signal was put in place in Parliament Square in London in 1868. A police officer controlled levers to manually change the signal. Unfortunately, it exploded within the first two months of use.
It took until 1912 for the first electric traffic signal to make its appearance. A police officer named Lester Wire came up with the design and saw it placed in Cleveland, Ohio, at the intersection of 105th and Euclid. Ever since the first traffic signal, they have continuously evolved into the fully automated systems installed today.
What Do the Colors of Traffic Lights Mean?
Each color of the traffic light system has a different meaning. Whether the color of the light is red, yellow, or green, you need to know what it means so you don't end up with a traffic ticket.
Red Lights
Solid Red Lights
Solid red lights only mean one thing: stop. You have to come to a complete stop until the light changes to green — then you can proceed. You might be able to turn right at a red traffic light, but first, check for signs at the intersection that say “No Right Turn on Red” and obey them. If there aren’t any signs stating this, yield to any cross traffic and pedestrians before making your right turn on red.
Left turns on red are rare, but are possible. Only turn left at a red light if you’re turning from a one-way street to another one-way street and you’ve yielded to other traffic.
Flashing Red Lights
If you pull up to a traffic light and it is flashing red, treat it as a stop sign. Come to a full stop and yield to those that have stopped first like you normally would at a stop sign.
Just be wary that cross traffic, especially if it is a heavily trafficked road, may not have the same flashing red light, but instead may have a flashing yellow light.
Yellow Lights
Solid Yellow Lights
When you see a solid yellow light, you know that the light is about to turn red. This means you need to slow down so you can safely stop in time. However, if you are traveling at a high rate of speed and know that you can't safely stop in time, you can slightly speed up and go through the intersection. So if you think you have to slam on the brakes to stop in time, it is often safer to proceed.
Flashing Yellow Lights
The good thing about a flashing yellow light is that you don't have to stop. You should reduce your speed slightly just in case another driver doesn't know who has the right of way. That way you can safely stop if someone pulls out in front of you.
Green Lights
The only thing that you have to think about when you see green is to keep on going. As always, just pay attention when proceeding through an intersection just in case someone runs a red light or makes a right turn on red.
No Lights
On rare occasions, usually due to a power outage, the traffic light may be out. This can cause chaos to ensue because people encounter this so infrequently that they have no idea what to do. Some people may pretend the light doesn't exist and drive right through, but this isn't correct. The right thing to do is to treat it exactly light a stop sign. Always be extra careful when you see a light that is out because you never know how other drivers are going to handle it.
Handle Traffic Lights the Correct Way
The basic rules are to stop on red, slow on yellow, and go on green, but make sure you know all of the intricacies as well. Another way to learn additional rules of the road is by taking a driver's education class through Aceable.com. This class will teach you how to be a safe driver in a fun way that is entirely online.
Updated 8/25/22