A Riddle

[BlueJazz]

Traffic signals are made with Red on top, Yellow in the middle, Green on the bottom.
Why is green always on the bottom?. (Not a joke)

[Muttocracy]

1. do you mean instead of

green top, yellow middle, red bottom?

[BlueJazz]

3. yes

[DS1]

2. for color blind people

[BlueJazz]

4. mmmm...not really...it would be just as easy to remember the opposite way.

Think of the location

[Muttocracy]

6. I've heard a story about a backwards one in Syracuse

don't know if it's true or my student was pulling my leg (he and some of his relatives are colorblind).

[DS1]

7. well, of course green is easier to see if you're far forward

and can't see the entire light. but it's standardized for color blind people

[BlueJazz]

8. The Answer

If the light is hit by a tractor-trailer (over-height)..it would probably just hit the bottom part.

Better for the green to go out then the Red.

ON EDIT...This comes from the old days when just about all lights were hung (by Wire) in the intersection.

[DS1]

9. uhhh

not buying that. it makes sense, but not much.

[BlueJazz]

11. Read my last post ON EDIT

[DS1]

13. that's fine

but a light hit by a tractor trailer is pretty much fucked anyway. I'm skeptical that this is the real reason

[BlueJazz]

20. One of my elderly customers (computer) used to be a traffic engineer.

He said the practice started many years ago.
But as you say...He may be wrong...although it does make (some) sense.

[BlueJazz]

22. In fact...now I think about it...maybe the lights in the old days were much...

..more fragile than now...??

[DS1]

23. which is why I'm thinking a truck collision would simply render them totally useless

[BlueJazz]

24. It seems like the truck would not hit the whole light but only the bottom part.

..I mean, trucks are usually only a little bit over-height.

Geez..I can't believe I'm actually discusing this. :spank:

[Muttocracy]

10. hmm, I was working on a theory about having the sun in your eyes

and being able to peek under the visor to see when it changes from red to green so you can go...

[uppityperson]

5. Stop is highest and seen from furtherst away.

Green is on the bottom because it is more important to stop and not hit someone than it is to go?

[Redstone]

12. No matter what anyone says, it IS for colorblind people. If the signal is horizontal,

green is always on the right.

And in Quebec, they go one step further: I forget which is which, but one color of light is round, the other square, and the third is diamond-shaped.

Redstone

[DS1]

14. 000

[Redstone]

18. Somehow, I knew you'd come through. (I'll be sending you an email about the

business thing tomorrow.)

Redstone

[alphafemale]

15. You are right, but since this was phrased as a Riddle and not Trivia...

I think there's something else the OP is seeking. Correct answer not withstanding.

Along the lines of...

"Because if red was on the bottom..."

I have no idea though...

:shrug:

[DS1]

16. red being on bottom could make it more likely that it was drowned out by a good sunset

but that's about as farfetched as lights being hit by trucks and still half working

[Redstone]

19. There are some things, m'dear, that are just beyond our understanding...

Redstone

[Orrex]

17. Because if the green were on top, the stoplight would be upside down.

Holy moley, do I have to spell it out for you?!?

[Jamastiene]

21. You beat me to it.

:P