Sunlight is composed of seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, each with different wavelengths and angles of deviation. When sunlight shines on objects, their ability to absorb and reflect light of different wavelengths varies, resulting in the formation of various colors. In visible light, red light has the longest wavelength and the smallest deflection angle, making it easy to pass through water layers, raindrops, dust, and fog. Orange and yellow light are not afraid of obstacles and can penetrate the aforementioned objects. So the fire truck is painted red so that people can see it from afar and make way for it in foggy weather, dusty environment or violent storms, so that it can complete fire fighting and rescue tasks as soon as possible.
Fire trucks in most countries are red. Because it is the most eye-catching, you can see it from afar. However, according to the investigation of Transportation in New York City Transportation Department, every 100000 red fire engines appear, causing 32 accidents. If the fire truck is painted in a brighter yellow color, for every 100000 trips, the number of accidents is only 14.5, a decrease of more than half. Because a light tone will make the outline of the car appear larger, giving it a feeling of being closer to oneself, which is beneficial for traffic safety. So they advocate painting the fire truck yellow. But the fire department firmly opposes this approach, as yellow can calm people's emotions and reduce firefighting efficiency, while red can more stimulate fighting spirit and inspire people.
