When we think about traffic signs, we have a clear meaning of specific colors, right? Highway signs play a huge role in helping drivers stay safe and know where they’re going, and in the U.S., most of them are green, which is something we see as normal today. But, what if I told you this wasn’t always that way? In the past, these signs could be many colors, which confused many drivers. So, let’s learn more about traffic signs.
Too many colors and shapes
At the beginning of American roads, before 1924, there were no national rules about how signs must be. This meant that they could be of any shape, size and color. What’s more, many of them were created by automobile clubs and not by state authorities. Basically, each organization made the signs as they wanted.
In 1924, the National Conference on Street and Highway Safety gathered to try to create some basic guidelines. They suggested a few general color meanings:
- Red meant stop
- Yellow meant caution
- Green meant go
- Purple was used for intersections
- Black and white were for general information
However, this system wasn’t applied the same way in the entire country. So, depending on the state you drove, you could have found completely different traffic signs. I mean, imagine going on the road with no GPS, just a paper map and the signs are different in every state! Sure, it was easy to get lost and be confused.
Toward standardization
Between 1930 and 1960, the government worked on improving an important guide called the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. This manual helped create clearer rules about how signs should look, including their shapes, colors, and meanings.
Right before the 60s, experts voted to decide which color should be officially used in highway signs, and the winner was… GREEN! 58% of voters thought green was a calm and easy-to-read color. However, ever after this decision, some states kept experimenting with other ideas.
Arizona
One of the most striking examples was the state of Arizona. While the rest of the country began to accept green as the standard color for traffic signs, Arizona decided to try something completely different: use four different colors to show drivers where to go. For example:
- Orange meant north.
- Blue was west.
- Brown was east.
- Green meant south.
This system was used for about 10 years! Maybe, the idea was thought to help in a time where there were no apps like Google Maps, and driving while looking at a huge paper map was complicated. But, the truth is that these types of signs ended up causing more confusion.
In the end, Arizona decided to end with this experiment and used the green color, like the rest of the country.
Still different colors on the roads
Even though highway signs are mainly green, there are still other colors, and all of them have a specific reason. According to the Arizona Department of Transportation:
- Brown signs point to places like parks, museums, and historic sites.
- Red signs are meant to catch your attention immediately. These include “STOP” and “Wrong Way” signs.
- Yellow signs give warnings about what’s ahead on the road.
- Orange signs appear in construction or work areas.
- Blue signs show services at the next exit, such as gas stations, restrooms, or restaurants.
These colors help drivers react way faster and avoid confusion. When people understand the meaning of each color, the road becomes less confusing and fewer mistakes happen.
So…
In the end, highway signs remind us that small details can make a big difference. Understanding their history and meaning helps us appreciate the care that goes into keeping roads safe and easy to navigate. It also shows how thoughtful design can make our daily trips smoother and less stressful. Who would have guessed that a color choice could change the way an entire country moves?