YELLOW - FOR SAFETY

A STUDY CONDUCTED BY THE CITY FIRE BRIGADE OF COVENTRY. ENGLAND, IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE LANCHESTER COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY, HAS INDICATED THAT GREEN-YELLOW IS THE SAFEST COLOR FOR FIRE VEHICLES UNDER ALL LIGHTING CONDITIONS. THE STUDY REPORTED THAT THE TRADITIONALLY RED TRUCKS OFTEN APPEAR BLACK UNDER REDUCED LIGHT. BLUE AND GREEN VEHICLES ALSO SEEM BLACK IN CERTAIN KINDS OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHT. WHITE PROVED TO BE THE MOST VISABLE COLOR UNDER ALL CONDITIONS, BUT THE STUDY DID NOT RECOMMEND IT FOR FIRE VEHICLES. "WHITE IS PASSIVE AND COMMUNICATES NO SENSE OF URGENCY," THE REPORT STATED. "IT IS IN NO WAY DISTINCTIVE, AND IS COMMONLY OBSERVED IN REFLECTION OF DAYLIGHT FROM HIGHLY POLISHED SURFACES, IRRESPECTIVE OF THEIR COLOUR." THE REPORT ALSO CITED NEED FOR MAINTENANCE AND TENDENCY TOWARD DISCOLORATION AS DIFFICULTIES WITH WHITE PAINT. EXPERIMENTS WITH YELLOW PAINT PROVED THAT IT LOSES LITTLE COLOR-VALUE UNDER ARTIFI- CIAL LIGHT AND TENDS TO EXCITE THE HUMAN EYE. A SLIGHT MIXTURE OF GREEN WITH THE YELLOW WAS FOUND TO HAVE PSYCHOLOGICAL VALUE IN THAT IT TENDS TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH WITH UNPLEASANT THINGS, THE REPORT STATED. THE REPORT NOTED THAT YELLOW WAS USED EFFECTIVELY DURING WORLD WAR II ON THE R.A.F.'S "MAE WEST" LIFE JACKETS, AND HAS LONG BEEN THE COLOR OF BRITISH RAILWAY MAINTENANCE ENGINES. /SRIS/

• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/00410721
• Supplemental Notes:
  • 6 Pp, 1 Fig, 1 TAB
• Publication Date: 1970-5

Media Info

• Serial:
  • Traffic Safety (Chicago)
  • Publisher: National Safety Council
  • ISSN: 0041-0721

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Color; Color vision; Fire vehicles; Light; Psychological aspects; Red; Safety; Yellow
• Uncontrolled Terms: Light sources
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00221039
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Nat Safety Council Safety Res Info Serv
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Nov 23 1970 12:00AM