Brief History

The history of traffic lights starts with a manual system that was first used in London in the 1860s. Instead of using electricity, people had to manually move the arms with a lever. It was in 1914 that the first electric system was installed in the US, in Cleveland, Ohio. Lester Wire from Salt Lake City designed it. A few years later, the first European system was installed in Germany. The first lights only had two colors, but then in 1923 they added a yellow "caution" light. International Traffic Light Day is a great time to celebrate these important events!

How is it celebrated

On this day, various events dedicated to traffic lights are held. Exhibitions are organized where you can see historical and modern models of traffic lights, as well as learn about how they work. Competitions and quizzes are held on the rules of the road and traffic lights. Some companies organize free inspections and maintenance of traffic lights to draw attention to their importance.

International Traffic Light Day

Interesting facts

• The first traffic light was installed in London in 1868. It was controlled manually and had only two signals: a raised boom meant "stop", and a lowered boom meant "you can go".
• In the United States, the first traffic light was installed in Detroit in 1914. It was also manually controlled and had only two\signals.
• Today, traffic lights can have up to six signals that regulate traffic in different directions.
• In some cities, traffic lights are equipped with cameras that recognize license plates and record traffic violations.
• There are many unusual traffic lights in the world, for example, in Amsterdam there are traffic lights for cyclists, and in Singapore-traffic lights with countdown.