Which Came First in the World: Traffic Lights or Cars?
3 Answers
Traffic lights appeared first in the world. The world's first traffic light appeared in 1868 on the road in front of Parliament Square in London, UK, to direct the passage of horse-drawn carriages; the recognized world's first modern car appeared in 1886, invented by German engineer Karl Benz. Here is additional information about traffic signals: 1. Traffic signals are lights that direct traffic, generally consisting of red, green, and yellow lights. 2. A red light indicates prohibition of passage, a green light indicates permission to proceed, and a yellow light serves as a warning. 3. Traffic signals are categorized into: motor vehicle signals, non-motor vehicle signals, pedestrian crossing signals, directional indicator signals (arrow signals), lane signals, flashing warning signals, and level crossing signals for roads and railways.
I find this question quite interesting. As someone with a bit of interest in history, I've looked into it. The automobile was invented earlier, around 1885 when Karl Benz built the first true automobile in Germany. At that time, the streets were mainly filled with horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians, with virtually no traffic regulations. Over the next few decades, the number of cars surged, especially in big cities, leading to frequent accidents and chaotic interactions between vehicles and pedestrians, which spurred the need for traffic lights. In 1914, the first electric traffic light was installed in Cleveland, USA, and from then on, they gradually became widespread. This shows that technological development often follows the pattern of tools preceding regulations. The popularity of automobiles directly influenced urban planning, such as wider roads, and marked the beginning of modern transportation systems.
As someone who lived through those years, I remember clearly that cars came first. When I was a child in the 1910s, cars were already becoming popular. Back then, there were no traffic lights on the roads, and carriages and cars mixed together, often leading to accidents. Police relied on hand signals and whistles for traffic control, which was highly inefficient. Traffic lights came later, around the 1920s, when they began to be installed on a large scale, making urban intersections much safer. The first electric traffic light was installed in the U.S. in 1914, nearly 30 years after the advent of cars. These changes make me feel that modern society has gradually improved from chaos. Thinking about today's highways and smart signals, their origins lie in those inventions.
