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From candles to total excess: why we illuminate everything at Christmas
by Martin Jungfer
Why do emergency vehicles drive with blue lights?
1.9.2022
Translation: Katherine Martin
When it comes to warning signals, red is the colour that springs to mind. The lights fitted on police cars, ambulances and fire engines, however, are blue – a colour generally considered to be unobtrusive. This is exactly why it was chosen in the first place.
Nee-naw! Nee-naw! An ambulance blazes through the junction. Nee-naw! Nee-naw! My gaze follows the vehicle’s light. The rotating beacons shoot beams of light in all directions so that they can be seen from any angle. Makes sense. The thing that gives me pause, however, is the colour. After all, the colour pulsating from the roof is blue, not the warning colour red.
Why is that?
You practically never see blue in traffic otherwise. Traffic lights are red, amber and green, while cars typically have white and red lights. With this in mind, you could argue that this makes the colour blue stand out. That’s one reason, but not the original one. In fact, warfare was at the forefront of decision makers’ minds when the colour was chosen.
My life in a nutshell? On a quest to broaden my horizon. I love discovering and learning new skills and I see a chance to experience something new in everything – be it travelling, reading, cooking, movies or DIY.
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