Traffic lights: colors in order, description and meaning

Today everyone understands what a traffic light is. Colors: red, yellow and green - even familiar to the child.

However, there was a time when these optical devices were not there, and it was not very easy to cross the street. Especially in large cities passers-by had to pass for a long time endless horse carts.

On the cross streets there was confusion and endless disputes.

A short digression into the history

Originally, the traffic lights were invented by the English. He was set in London in the late 68-ies of the 19th century. Man controlled it. The mechanism had two arrows. When they were in a horizontal position, the traffic was banned, and when dropped - the passage was permitted. At night, a gas burner was switched on, using which a red and green signal was applied. It turned out to be unsafe. The gas exploded, wounded the policeman, the traffic light was removed.

Only at the beginning of the twentieth century was an automatic traffic light patented in America. The colors in it were not used, they replaced their inscriptions.

But the first traffic light, which is similar to modern, was developed in 1914 in the same America. In Cleveland was installed the first luminous traffic light, there were only two colors: red and green. And in 1920, the third one was added to these two colors - yellow.

In the Soviet Union, the first traffic light was installed in Leningrad in 1930, and later in Moscow, but the arrangement of the flowers was the reverse. At the top was green, and below - red. Only in 1959 in our country traffic lights began to look like the whole world. So they look to this day.

Today in any city traffic lights - this is a common phenomenon, without which the movement is not possible.

Principles of modern traffic lights

The traffic light is designed to regulate the traffic of vehicles and is a lighting device installed in a certain place with a sequential switching of light signals of certain colors.

A specially developed automated program controls the traffic lights. In cities, these programs are global. They are carefully designed. Manage such programs at once with several traffic lights, and to optimize the movement of software is developed for each time of day separately.

Where traffic lights are usually installed

In all densely populated cities to date, the traffic light is the traffic light. Colors are switched in order and thereby regulate movement.

They must be installed at intersections of equivalent roads, pedestrian crossings with a large crowd of people, near educational institutions and in other places where additional regulation is needed.

In large metropolises, traffic lights are installed on almost any highway at bus and tram stops, near metro stations.

Red light

Everyone knows that red is an aggressive, exciting, screaming color. It means danger. In the traffic light red color is prohibitive. Even in kindergarten children are taught: "Red color - no movement".

To traffic participants, a red traffic light signal indicates that movement beyond the stop line is prohibited. All cars without exception have to adhere to this rule unquestioningly. For the passage of the intersection to prohibit traffic signal traffic rules provide for penalties. These fines are quite large and well-deserved, because the red trip can be very dangerous. It is because of the irresponsible drivers at traffic lights and intersections, sometimes the most terrible accidents occur .

Red color is very clearly visible in any weather: when the sun shines brightly, it rains, or there is a fog. From a physical point of view, red color has a maximum wavelength. Probably, that's why it was chosen as forbidden. All over the world, the meaning of red is the same.

Green light

Another signal at the traffic light is green. This is the color of calmness, peace. It has a relaxing effect on the human brain. A green traffic light signal allows movement. It is visible far enough, any driver long before the traffic lights sees this color and quietly, without braking, overcomes the intersection.

However, as they say, there is an unspoken rule, according to which, when you pass a dangerous intersection, you still need to brake, even when the signal of the traffic light shows green. This action often helps to avoid serious accidents.

Yellow - pay attention

The yellow color of the traffic light is intermediate. It carries a warning function and encourages the participants of the movement to pay attention. It is said that the yellow color symbolizes the mind, intuition and ingenuity. He lights up normally after red, urging drivers to prepare for the movement. As practice shows, many drivers perceive the yellow signal of a traffic light as permissive and start moving. This is wrong, although it is not penalized. When the yellow color lights up, you need to squeeze the clutch, prepare, but to start the movement it's better to wait for the green, especially since it's just a couple of seconds to wait.

In reverse order: green, yellow, red - the traffic light does not work. In modern devices, after the green, the red color immediately turns on, and at the last minute the green starts to flash.

Also sometimes you can see a continuously flashing yellow traffic light signal. This indicates that the traffic light is off or broken. Most often yellow traffic light flashes at night.

Pedestrian traffic lights

To regulate the movement of pedestrians, there is also a traffic light. What colors are used in it? Red and green - definitely, but yellow is not needed. A person does not need special preparation for crossing the road.

Typically, walking men are depicted on pedestrian traffic lights . For the convenience of pedestrians, a time counter has recently been used. A special stopwatch counts how many seconds remain before the opposite signal is turned on.

As in conventional traffic lights, red color prohibits traffic, and green indicates that the passage is open.

Passing the intersection, drivers should be aware that pedestrians take advantage. For example, at the crossroads, the car turns to the right to the green traffic light signal, while the pedestrians crossing the perpendicular road are also green. In this case, the motorist is obliged to skip all pedestrians and only then to continue the movement.

What is a "green wave"

In large megacities, motorway traffic is accompanied by a large number of traffic lights that regulate traffic. A traffic light, the colors of which are known to everyone, switches them with a certain periodicity. This periodicity is automatically regulated and ensures the safety of vehicles.

"Green Wave" is tied to the speed of the car. It is assumed that, moving with a certain average speed, the driver, hitting a green traffic light signal, along the entire length of the highway will also fall on the green color. Three colors of the traffic light switch with a certain periodicity, and between the number of traffic lights there is consistency. At all crossroads of the route, agreed on this principle, there is the same cyclicity.

"Green Wave" was developed for the convenience of crossing intersections, it is technically feasible to implement this is not very difficult. As a rule, on such highways signs are additionally installed with the recommended speed, which will ensure non-stop traffic intersections.

Assistant driver and pedestrian is a three-eyed traffic light. Colors in order toggle and regulate the course, ensuring the safety of all road users. Observing the rules for the passage of intersections in good faith, you can avoid serious accidents and unpleasant situations on the roads.