Why Are School Buses Always Painted Yellow? Know The Interesting Fact

Why Are School Buses Yellow?  You might have noticed that school buses are mostly painted with yellow colours. The reason comprises both scientific and practical factors. The decision to keep school buses of yellow colour is not selected on a whim but rather for visibility and safety purposes, and thus it is the most appropriate colour for vehicles that are responsible for transporting children. Now, let us explain it to you in a simpler and easier-to-understand manner for why school buses are painted yellow.

One of the factors is high visibility. Yellow is more conspicuous than the majority of other colours in sunlight. It reflects the sun's light better and is quickly seen by the human eye, even in a busy street lined with cars in various hues. Research indicates that the human eye spots yellow before red, particularly at the periphery of the eye. This allows drivers to easily see a school bus from afar, making accident avoidance easier.

A further explanation is that yellow continues to be easily visible during fog, rain, and poor-light conditions, such as early morning and evening, when children typically commute to and from school. Yellow buses would be conspicuous compared to darker colours that camouflage with the surroundings, warning other drivers to slow down.

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Yellow is also a warning colour. Traffic lights, warning signs, and road symbols tend to employ yellow to catch the eye. By the same token, colouring school buses yellow encourages people to be more cautious when approaching them, aware that children are on board.

Historical Background Of Yellow School Buses

The practice itself goes back to 1939, when an American conference standardised the yellow as the school bus colour, which is also associated with Dr. Frank W Cyr, who is known as the Father of the Yellow School Bus. Due to its high visibility and strong cognitive association with alertness and caution. Several countries have followed the same regulation for child protection since then, including India.