Humanities desk
< May 21	<< Apr \| May \| Jun >>	May 23 >

Welcome to the Wikipedia Humanities Reference Desk Archives
The page you are currently viewing is a transcluded archive page. While you can leave answers for any questions shown below, please ask new questions on one of the current reference desk pages.

May 22

Color change

On American road signs what advantage does fluorescent yellow green (a color that looks wet) have over yellow (which looks dry)?? Georgia guy (talk) 00:06, 22 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

Apparently the fluorescent yellow-green is more visible and easier to spot at further distances because it reflects more light back than plain yellow.[1][2] Zzyzx11 (talk) 03:00, 22 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

In daytime at least. Fluorescence makes the sign brighter under blue and UV light, so it works best in sunny conditions. It's not retroreflective, making it useless at night. But school zone signs are only really needed in daytime (well, in winter school may start just before sunrise). Furthermore, yellow is a common colour in built-up areas: billboards, parked cars, clothing, waste containers. Fluorescent yellow green is only really used for warning signs. PiusImpavidus (talk) 10:59, 22 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]

While some states have violated the rule, fluorescent yellow-green is actually ONLY supposed to be used for pedestrian, bicycle, and school crossing signs, according to the MUTCD. See [3] The color known as "standard yellow" is used for other warning signs. The idea is to have a unique visual cue for pedestrian crossings, given the unique squishiness of pedestrians. AFAIK, this was an optional color change made in the 1980s, and at some point since has been made mandatory. Generally, if places in the U.S. are using fluorescent yellow-green for other signs, such as intersection warnings and the like, that is contraindicated by the MUTCD. --Jayron 32 12:22, 23 May 2022 (UTC)[reply]