When you’re driving and see flashing lights in your rearview mirror or on the side of the road, it’s important to understand what those colors mean. A helpful graphic from Reader’s Digest breaks down the most common emergency and service vehicle light colors—and who uses them.
Here’s what you need to know next time you’re on the road.
Red Lights
Red is the most widely recognized emergency color. It signals police vehicles, fire engines, ambulances, and other emergency service vehicles. In some areas, school buses also use red lights to alert drivers to stop.
Amber Lights
Amber (yellow or orange) lights are commonly seen on slower-moving or stationary service vehicles such as garbage trucks, snowplows, wide-load tractor trailers, and postal delivery trucks. These lights indicate caution.
Green Lights
Green lights are used by a variety of public safety services, including the Department of Homeland Security, state transportation departments, and emergency crowd control units. Volunteer firefighters, EMTs, and mental health crisis responders may also use green lights, depending on the state.
White Lights
White lights are used on emergency vehicles, government service vehicles, and postal trucks. Trains and railroad maintenance vehicles may also use white lights for visibility.
Purple Lights
Purple lights are less common and are typically reserved for funeral processions. They help signal to other drivers that a procession is underway and should not be interrupted.
Blue Lights
Blue lights are generally used by police vehicles. In some areas, they may be combined with red lights on certain emergency vehicles to increase visibility and signal urgency.
Understanding these light colors can help drivers react appropriately, yield when necessary, and stay safe while sharing the road with service and emergency vehicles. Next time those lights flash, you’ll know exactly who’s coming through—and why.
This content is brought to you by the FingerLakes1.com Team. Support our mission by visiting www.patreon.com/fl1 or learn how you send us your local content here.