Why the U.S. Doesn't Use Red-Yellow Traffic Lights (2026)

You’re at a stoplight in Germany or the UK, waiting for it to turn green. Instead of flipping straight from red to green like you’re used to in the States, it flashes red and yellow together for a second. You think, “Is this broken?” Nope. That’s just how they do it.

Over there, that red-yellow combo means, “Get ready—green’s coming.” It’s a heads-up. You don’t go on it, you just know it’s about to happen. And it makes sense—your foot’s already moving to the gas before green even shows up.

In the U.S., we don’t get that. We go from red... straight to green. Zero warning. And when green turns yellow? That’s your only signal that it’s about to stop. No “get ready,” no countdown. Just “oops, better decide in the next half second if I’m stopping or gunning it.”

Some other places go even further. In Russia or Austria or Mexico, for example, green will blink before turning yellow. In parts of China, they’ve even got bars that shrink down to show exactly how much time you’ve got left. Like a progress bar for red lights.

All of this is about helping people not panic in that weird in-between moment—the “uhhh do I stop or go” zone. The more heads-up you get, the less likely you are to slam your brakes or blast through the intersection.

So why doesn’t the U.S. use this system? Basically: because it’s not in the rulebook. Our traffic lights follow a strict federal manual that bans stuff like this. The reason? Officials say warning lights can actually make things worse—drivers start guessing, jumping the light, doing unpredictable stuff. The irony is... people already do that.

And then there’s inertia. American lights haven’t really changed in decades. Cars got smarter. Roads got busier. But lights? Still red, yellow, green—just like always.

Could it change? Maybe. Some folks are working on adaptive lights and signals that talk to your car. But for now? If you see a red-yellow flash at a light, congrats—you’re definitely not in the U.S. anymore.