It doesn’t matter if you don’t live in The United States, we all have seen them on TV, google or any photo, however, have you ever wondered why school busses are yellow? Well, we’ll answer you this curious question. Join us in this small school trip. Don’t forget your pen and notebook to write the necessary notes during this road.
A Storm…
Before knowing why buses are yellow, we should know about their story. After all, is always interesting to explore about everyday life things.
Several years ago, a long time before school transport was standardize in The United States, with these classic buses, many students used to arrive to school by their own means.
This includes being drove by car, ride by bike or by foot. Of course, buses already existed to pick students up or drop them off from school to their houses. However, in those years the big cars don’t used to have the features we already know now.
Unfortunately, the origin of the yellow color of the school bus isn’t funny neither happy. By contrast, is a sad and painful story.
In 1931, Colorado suffered a great and powerful snow storm and due bad weather conditions, a school in Towner was forced to suspend classes and send students to their homes by bus.
Regretfully, one of these buses that transported dozens of children, was caught in the middle of the storm, causing driver and children be under the snow for more than 30 hours. Everyone passed away because of hypothermia.
All the people tried to find them as soon as possible, but the climate conditions complicated the finding. In the same way, it wasn’t possible for driver to communicate to the outside from the inside.
Since that horrible fact, measures were taken in case something similar would happen again, and to avoid tragedy. Subsequently, were installed radios inside the buses to communicate, and was agreed that buses were painted in an extremely visible color.
Why school buses are yellow?
As you can see, the last story answers to the question of why school buses are yellow.
Nevertheless, it was until 1939 that during a conference organized in the Teachers College of Columbia University; vehicle manufacturers, paint companies’ representatives and transportation officials agreed to standardize the yellow color for school buses.
The main reason is that this color provides greater visibility, not only in adverse climate conditions, but at any moment of the day, particularly in hours with less luminosity. In this way, transport can be visible always.
However, this isn’t the only reason of choosing that pigmentation.
Scientifically, it has been proved that is easier that peripheral vision detects an object in yellow color in the corner of the eye.
This is really important for drivers of other vehicles detect a school bus without looking it directly. Likewise, their combination with black letters makes the perfect contrast for these vehicles to be visible from a great distance.
Yellow, caution color
There is a reason behind the yellow color to be chosen to indicate or make us conscious of a caution or alert state. This is due is the fastest color the human eye detects, helping us to see a signal or warning in this shade, to have more time for necessary cautions, or keep us alert in certain zones.
Is very common to find traffic signs with yellow background, these are functional to warn us about pedestrian crossings, schools, detours, caution zones, and others. In short, yellow color is used in traffic signs to be covered by a reflective vinyl that facilitates the early detection of objects as the possibility to see them in the necessary time to take precautions.
Increase precautionary measures
In the case of schools, is recommended to reinforce safety in the entrance and exit of students with other road tools. These can be from stop-go paddles to barriers or flexible posts that help to create temporary crossings for a safer pedestrian crossing between one sidewalk and another.
