Traffic lights have become an integral part of our lives, but their history began not too long ago.
The first traffic light in the world was gas-powered and appeared in London in 1868. It had only two signals — red and green, but due to a gas explosion, the system became dangerous.
The modern electric traffic light appeared in the USA in 1914. It was installed in Cleveland and had red and green lights with an audio signal for phase changes.
The yellow light was added in the 1920s to give drivers time to respond to changes in the signal.
In Germany, the “Ampelmann” — cheerful figures on pedestrian traffic lights are popular. In Spain, Denmark, and Sweden, there are traffic lights with figures in the form of hearts, vikings, or depicting different genders.
Traffic lights are adapted for visually impaired pedestrians by adding audio signals or vibration panels.
In Ukraine, the first traffic light appeared in Kharkiv in 1936. Today, there are over 60,000 traffic lights in the country, ensuring the safety of millions of road users daily.
Since 01.01.2025, police have issued 65,841 administrative materials under part 2 of Article 122 (Crossing on the prohibitory traffic light signal) of the Code of Administrative Offenses. Follow the traffic rules and traffic light signals!