Automotive lighting facts for kids

Head, tail, turn, and marker lights

The lighting system on a car or other vehicle is super important! It includes all the lights and signals found on the front, back, sides, and sometimes even the top of a vehicle. These lights do a few main things:

• They light up the road so the driver can see where they're going, especially at night or when it's dark.
• They make the vehicle easy for others to see, which is really important in bad weather or low light.
• They tell other drivers and people walking nearby where the vehicle is and which way it's going.
• Special vehicles like ambulances or police cars have unique flashing lights to show they are coming quickly in an emergency.

How Car Lights Started

Cars have had lights for over a hundred years! Before cars, horse-drawn carriages used candles for light.

• The very first cars, sometimes called "horseless carriages," used gas lamps.
• By 1908, electric lights started to appear on vehicles.
• Red tail lights (at the back) and yellow brake lights (when you slow down) were used by 1915.
• Special "sealed beam" headlights, which were sealed units, came out in 1936.
• Turn signals, which tell others you're turning, became common by 1940.
• For a while, all cars in the U.S. had to use standard 7-inch round headlights.
• In 1956, cars could start having four headlights instead of just two.
• Newer, brighter halogen lights were first used on European cars in 1960 and came to the U.S. by 1979.
• Car light bulbs that you could easily replace started being used in the U.S. in 1983.

Types of Lights on a Car

Cars have many different kinds of lights, each with a special job:

• Headlights are at the front of the car and light up the road ahead. They are designed to help you see far, but without blinding drivers coming the other way. Drivers learn not to "overdrive their headlights," meaning they don't go so fast that they can't stop within the area their lights show.
• Tail lights are red lights at the back of the car. They turn on when the headlights are on. Most modern cars must have two tail lights.
• Stop lights (also called brake lights) are usually part of the tail light setup. They are brighter red lights that turn on when the driver presses the brake pedal, warning drivers behind you that you are slowing down or stopping.
• Marker lights are small lights on the sides of the car that help other drivers see the full size of your vehicle, especially at night.
• Turn signals are lights that flash to show which way a driver plans to turn or change lanes. They are usually amber (yellow-orange) and are found at the front, back, and sometimes the sides of the car.
• Third brake light. Since the 1980s and 1990s in many countries, cars have been required to have an extra brake light mounted higher up, usually in the middle of the back window. This light gives an even clearer warning to drivers behind you.
• Fog lights are optional on many cars. Regular headlights can reflect off fog and cause glare. Fog lights are aimed lower to help you see the road better in fog, heavy rain, snow, or dust. They also spread light out wider.
• Driving lights are extra lights designed to help headlights see even farther down the road. They shine a narrow, powerful beam much further than regular headlights.

Images for kids

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  Many lights at the back of a Thai tour bus

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  A special cornering lamp on a 1983 Oldsmobile 98

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  Front parking light on a Dodge Grand Caravan

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  Bright LED daytime running lights on an Audi A4

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  A 1974 Plymouth Valiant with its headlights, front parking lights, and side marker lights on

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  Front and side turn signals flashing

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  A Japanese "Trafficator" arm extending to show a turn

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  A turn signal light built into the side mirror

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  Two types of dashboard lights that show when your turn signals are on

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  This Mercedes-Benz has red rear turn signals on one side and amber ones on the other.

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  The Honda Ridgeline had amber rear turn signals from 2006-2008 and red ones from 2009-2014.

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  A car light bulb where the color coating is flaking off

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  Double tail lights on a special road-rail vehicle

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  Full LED rear lights on a BMW 7 Series

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  The back of a Renault Master van, showing the third brake light above the door handle.

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  A single rear fog lamp on a Mercedes M Class

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  Reversing lamps lit on a Mercedes-Benz SLR McLaren

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  An end outline marker lamp, often on larger vehicles

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  A light bar on a British police car

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  An illuminated taxi sign on a car roof

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  How a light source in a curved reflector creates a focused beam

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  Modern LED tail lights on a BMW 330Ci

See also

In Spanish: Iluminación automotriz para niños