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| Photo: Youngstown Fire |
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| Photo: Big Mack Trucks |
"It's not easy being green," Kermit the Frog once said.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Springfield, Dayton and other American cities fielded safety lime and safety yellow fire apparatus to improve visibility and cut down on traffic accidents.
Scientists had determined human eyes are "most sensitive to greenish-yellow colors under dim conditions, making lime shades easiest to see in low lighting," according to the American Psychological Association.
However, later scientific studies determined "recognizing the vehicle was more important than paint color" the APA said. "If people in a particular community don't associate the color lime with fire trucks, then yellow-green vehicles may not actually be as conspicuous."
The trend has since shifted back to red, just like Kermit the Frog's Sesame Street neighbor - Elmo.
