GROUP WIKI ASSIGNMENT Page 1

Group Wiki
Assignment
Introduction to Psychology I
CPSY102

Uyen Dinh TRAN (R10132701)

Diana SUBBOTKINA (R10092603)

Shabab U CHOWDHURY (R10186903)

Dr. Mengyang Qiu

Friday, 18 November 2022
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Topic 2: Color Blindness and Traffic Lights

Member 1 Name: Shabab U CHOWDHURY

Resource Type: Academic Source

Resource: Cole, B. L. (2016) Colour blindness and driving. Clin Exp Optom, 99: 484– 487.

doi: 10.1111/cxo.12396.

The Website “Wiley Online Library” hosts texts from Dr. Barry L Cole’s book

“Clinical and Experimental Optometry”, pages 484-487, dedicated to the discussion of

“colorblindness and driving”. This specific portion analyses the prevalence of color-vision

deficiencies among drivers as well as improvements to road and vehicle signal lights to make

them more easily recognizable to drivers with color deficiencies (Cole. 2016). The need for a

color-vision standard was brought up early in 1924 by Tasmanian Optometrist R. Stewart

Padman when there were only 99,000 registered motor vehicles and 37,000 motorcycles in

Australia among a population of 5.7 million (Cole, 2016). There were also many accident

studies conducted that resulted in the application of the Farnsworth Lantern test in

Australia, which applied the use of the Ishihara test and excluded a number of drivers from

being able to drive, this was later withdrawn due to protests (Cole, 2016).

The theory of opponent pairs asserts that cells of the visual system are either excited

or inhibited according to three separate color pairs, Black-White, Yellow-Blue, and Red-

Green due to an imbalance in the photoreceptor cells; Cones and Rods (Psychology 2e,

2020, chapter 5), so the strength of one color in the pair means the weakness of the other.

Concerns may arise when we look at statistics that the red-green colorblindness, scientifically

known as Deuteranomaly is the most common type of color-sight deficiency, as two of three

traffic signal lights are red (signaling stop) and green (signaling go), confusion among them

could very likely lead to accidents. It must also be noted that many people with

colorblindness claim that they can recognize traffic lights in other ways, like the placement,
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they learn to respond to the ways the traffic signals light up, knowing that the red light is

generally on top and green is on the bottom (Gavin. M. L, 2022). Most colorblind people can

recognize the colors in normal street lights by their placements, but there are complaints

about single flashing lights, which are harder to recognize as all three lights are in the same

position, in that situation they resort to tactics such as mimicking what fellow drivers are

doing.

From the public reception of the Farnsworth Lantern test its evident that taking away

the ability to drive from colorblind individuals is discriminatory, there is now anti-

discriminatory legislation passed by the Australian government that prevents discrimination

based on physical or mental disability unless based on strong empirical data (Cole, 2016), and

according to the text taking away someone driving rights is not the only solution for safer

traffic control, ergonomic solutions have emerged in Australia over the last 30 years due to

increased amount of research done on traffic safety, color-blind drivers are now taken into

consideration when planning traffic safety, which led to the implementation of colors that are

easier for colorblind individuals as well as shaping traffic lights in a way they’re

distinguishable (Cole, 2016).

Upon reading the text I’ve gained a deeper understanding of the importance of

making the roads easier for color-blind people, this would be an overall net positive and

should be adopted by most countries. Whether it be the US where colorblind people are

allowed to drive but there is not much in place to make the roads more comfortable for them

or China where people with Deuteranomaly are fully barred from driving.

Member 2 Name: Diana SUBBOTKINA

Resource Type: Academic article

Resource: Izautino P. Oliveira, Renata Souza, Frank Junior, Lanna Sales, Felipe Ferraz, “A
Vision of Traffic Lights for Color-Blind People,” 2015.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Izautino-De-
Oliveira/publication/311832580_A_Vision_of_Traffic_Lights_for_Color-
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Blind_People/links/585c69fe08ae8fce48fad055/A-Vision-of-Traffic-Lights-
for-Color-Blind-People.pdf.

"Colorblindness (dyschromatopsia or discromatopsia) is a disease characterised by an

abnormality in the photosensor pigment cells of the eye, resulting in the malfunction of

colour detection, most frequently in red and green shades. The first mention of colour

blindness dates back to the end of the 18th century, when a scientist named John Dalton

wrote about the visual characteristics of himself and his family. They were colour blind.

Dalton's descriptions created a furor in the medicine of the time as a true scientific discovery.

About 8% of males, and 0.5% of females have some form of colour blindness. Color

Blindness is usually passed on from your parents as it is located on the X chromosome of

their DNA. The primary difficultly of colorblindness is dealing with traffic lights while

driving a car. Red-green colourblindness is the most common form, and as such, many

colourblind individuals cannot distinguish between these two traffic lights. In order to adapt,

people must memorise the order in which the traffic lights appear. Since colour-blind person

has the ability to visually perceive shapes and textures; thus, no matter what colours are

depicted on road signs, a colour blind person will have no difficulty in understanding the

meaning of colour. However, traffic lights should be considered a problem because they do

not have an established standard. Many traffic lights do not have colors vertically distributed

using the red light on top, yellow in the middle and green at the bottom. This lack of

standardization contributes with the inability of color-blind people to understand traffic

lights. Perception of green and red colors is the biggest problem for people with this

disability.

The solution to this problem could be accessible traffic lights. For instance, in the

USA UNISignal has developed a traffic light model where the forbidding light is shaped like

a triangle and the permissive, green light is shaped like a square. In this way, confusing the
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red signal with the green one becomes an impossible task, even for a colourblind person. In

addition, according to psychologists, the new traffic light design reduces the time it takes for

all categories of drivers to make a decision, regardless of their visual characteristics. The new

traffic light design has not yet gone into production, but it has already been approved by city

authorities in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland. The radiation of

bright lights might confuse users. When a color-blind person drives at night there is a risk of

not identifying which shining light is up or down.

In developing countries as Brazil, the biggest limitation for color-blind people is a

prohibition to drive. In real life, however, many drivers with this color-blindness pathology

continue to drive. Especially if the colour perception disorder is not critical and does not

interfere with control of the traffic on the road. A large number of people with a colour

perception disorder continue to drive. They are generally unable to distinguish between

certain colours, e.g. burgundy or purple, but are able to distinguish traffic lights and road

signs and therefore do not endanger other road users. Sometimes, colour blind persons

perceive the entire colour palette but see it in a dimmer light - this also allows them to control

the situation on the road. Of course, in some severe cases, colour blindness places restrictions

on driving. Especially it concerns people with tritanopia (colour blindness) of the third type,

which is expressed by inability to distinguish objects in conditions of insufficient or dusky

light.

In conclusion, it is important and relevant to continue searching and proposing

relevant alternatives to improve accessibility for color-blind people - using modern

technology to provide smart solutions such as identifying traffic signals and others, not only

based on colors but on more accessible and adaptive ways for people with vision problems.

Member 3 Name: Uyen Dinh TRAN

Resource Type: Journal article

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Resource:

Yılmaz, E. (2020, July 10). Color blind drivers' perception of traffic signals. Lighting Portal.
Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.aydinlatma.org/en/color-blind-drivers-
perception-of-traffic-signals.html

As you know, there are three colors used in the traffic lights: red, green, and yellow.

In my human perception, red lights are perceived as “stop”, green as “go”, and yellow signals

as “slow down” or “caution”. However, people who are color blind do not view the color of

traffic light similarly. The Lighting Portal states that color-blind people could only see the

lights when they are turned on or off. It is commonly known that individuals with normal

vision have three distinct types of cones that mediate color vision, moreover, the three types

of cones are each receptive to one of the hues, such as blue, green, and red (Psychology 2e,

2020, chapter 5.3). As you are aware, those who have trouble with color discrimination may

see red light as being darker and green signals as white, therefore, they base on color’s

positions in the traffic light to distinguish them. To provide an example, with horizontal

traffic lights, the red light is on the far left, whereas in vertical traffic lights, it is on the top.

Additionally, The Lighting Portal article mentioned a few solutions in some nations

throughout the globe, consisting of Japan, the United Kingdom, and others. Blue light which

solves the lack of red-green color vision problems is used instead of green light in Japan. On

the other hand, the red and yellow light will turn on for a brief period of time when the light

changes from red to green in the UK. Furthermore, red lights would be made larger than other

lights or the shapes of the hues would make it easier for persons who are color-blind to

differentiate. Finally, The Lighting Portal also mentions that one disadvantage of those

solutions is difficult for them to see in the distance.

According to EnChroma, the most common type of color vision deficiency is called

“red-green color blindness” which occurs when the green and red sensitive cone cells

sensitivities overlap more than they are supposed to. Therefore, it is challenging for color-
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blind individuals to drive because they observe green and red as being extremely similar hues

rather than viewing these colors as being distinct, leading to color confusion and other

frustrations. The issue that now emerges is whether should the colors of streetlights be altered

to create a more inclusive society and assist those who struggle to distinguish between red

and green. Following the information from Lighting Portal, it should not be changed colors of

traffic lights due to some reasons. First of all, the three different colors of streetlights red,

yellow, and green have had separate meanings in human perception for a long time, such as

red for stop, green for starting, and yellow for slow warning or caution. If we adjust traffic

light colors, not only color-blind people but normal-sighted individuals also have difficulty

memorizing the meaning of alternative colors. Secondly, it is unlikely that changing hues

would make it easier for color-blind people to discriminate while they could observe green

looks like white and red would be darker. However, there are some nations having various

solutions to help those who have trouble with color discrimination. To provide an example,

Japan is one of the nations that use blue light instead of green light, which solves the most

common problems from the lack of red-green color vision. Additionally, some other nations

feel green is close to blue, so they use bluish-green preferred instead of green light, as well

as, several countries apply different shapes to distinguish colors on the streetlights, such as

square for red, diamond for yellow, and round for green. Furthermore, the red and yellow

light would be turned on for a short time when the light changes from red to green in the UK.

Nowadays, LED light is one of the alternative solutions that several countries assist color-

blind people with easier discriminating hues. Therefore, we should not change the colors of

streetlights, but we could use other ways like the above illustrations to help individuals who

have a hard time discriminating between red and green.

Group Part:
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In conclusion, color blindness had a strong influence on our daily life, particularly for

those who experience “red-green color blindness” and find it challenging to drive. Due to the

problem with green and red sensitive cone cells, the sight of those with color blindness is

different from normal-sighted individuals. Therefore, those who have trouble with

differentiating between hues could be permitted to drive in several certain nations, such as

China. Nevertheless, there are several methods to specify the hues of the traffic light for

individuals who find it difficult to discern between red and green. They apply a variety of

ways of identification, such as their positions, their shapes, or the color contrast of the

streetlight. From the challenges they have to overcome, a question arises whether to change

the colors of the streetlights to assist those people. The conclusion we get is that the answer is

no since learning the new hues of the traffic light is not only difficult for color-blind people

but normal-sighted also memorize. However, they might keep on making use of the detection

of colors based on positions, shapes, and brightness of hues, in addition, we could apply

technology to support them, such as the usage of LED lights.

Following this information we make a research, we have a deeper understanding of

the theory of opponent pairs asserts that cells the visual system are either excited or inhibited

according to three separate color pairs, such as black and white, yellow and blue, red and

green due to an imbalances in the photoreceptor cells. Additionally, we know a variety of

disorders related to vision, specifically Deuteranomaly is the most common type of color-

sight deficiency. According to the first source, numerous solutions have emerged in Australia

over the last 30 years because of increased amount of research done on traffic safety. For

instance, the implementation of colors that are easier for colorblind individuals as well as the

placement or shape of the colors on the streetlights, or the different brightness of three colors

red, yellow, and green. Due to a lot of challenges for color-blind individuals to drive, some

nations which propose a few ways to support the colorblindness comprise of Japan, the
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United Kingdom, and Australia. Nowadays, it is well-known that technology has been

developed rapidly, as a result, we could apply new-generation technology for the streetlights,

such as LED light. To sum up, the sight of colorblindness does not have similarity with

normal-sighted individuals, and it should not alter the hues of the traffic lights because of

difficulties for both the color-blind and those who have a normal vision; nevertheless,

technology could support them to drive easily and safely.

There are many misconceptions about about the severity of colorblindness in society,

while many extreme forms of colorblindness make it harder to navigate through life, like

Monochromacy, they should be separated forms, like Deuteranomaly, we’ve discussed the

steps we can take to make deuteranomaly become more socially recognized and how roads

and other facets of life can be made easier for them, like changes to traffic light technology,

equipping specific hues that’s easier on colorblind eyes. An overlooked aspect is removing all

misconceptions about colorblindness so everyone can begin to understand its complexity. As

time progresses we should begin to see these support systems more commonised.

A diagnosis of colour blindness does not mean an end to normal life. People with

colour blindness can live a full life just like healthy people - they can build a career, travel,

drive a car and dress stylishly. However, people with colour vision impairment may

occasionally have some difficulty in selecting clothing and accessories or preparing meals. It

can be difficult for people with colour blindness to know whether or not their messages are

being read on messengers. But, in fact, these are little things that cannot drastically affect

quality of life. Many people who are colour blind get used to their vision and no longer pay

attention to small difficulties. Interestingly, many people with colour blindness become aware

of their colour blindness as adults. Often this happens by accident. Persons with

colourblindness may think for years that a green traffic light means you can safely cross the
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road and a green one means you have to stand. What a surprise for colour-blind people when

it turns out to be exactly the opposite!

References

5.3 vision - psychology 2E. OpenStax. (n.d.). Retrieved October 26, 2022, from
https://openstax.org/books/psychology-2e/pages/5-3-vision

Advanced Solutions International, Inc. “Alberta's Drivers License Vision Requirements.”

Drivers License Vision Requirements,
http://www.optometrists.ab.ca/web/AAO/Patients/Drivers_License_Vision_Requirem
ents.aspx#:~:text=Colour%20Deficiencies%20and%20Driving,difference%20betwee
n%20street%20light%20colours.

Cole, B. L. (2016) Colour blindness and driving. Clin Exp Optom, 99: 484– 487. doi:
10.1111/cxo.12396.
Izautino P. Oliveira, Renata Souza, Frank Junior, Lanna Sales, Felipe Ferraz, “A Vision of
Traffic Lights for Color-Blind People,” 2015.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Izautino-De-
Oliveira/publication/311832580_A_Vision_of_Traffic_Lights_for_Color-
Blind_People/links/585c69fe08ae8fce48fad055/A-Vision-of-Traffic-Lights-for-
Color-Blind-People.pdf.

Mary, L. G. (2022). Color blindness Factsheet (For School).

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/color-blind-factsheet.html#:~:text=People%20who
%20are%20color%20blind,green%20is%20on%20the%20bottom.

What do color blind people see? EnChroma. (2022, August 5). Retrieved October 26, 2022,
from https://enchroma.com/blogs/beyond-color/how-color-blind-see

Yılmaz, E. (2020, July 10). Color blind drivers' perception of traffic signals. Lighting Portal.
Retrieved October 25, 2022, from https://www.aydinlatma.org/en/color-blind-drivers-
perception-of-traffic-signals.html
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