When Did Police Cars First Get Lights (And Were They Always Red And Blue)?

Among the many features that make police cars different from everyday vehicles, the flashing red and blue lights up top are one of those things that feel like they’ve been around forever and are recognizable to just about everyone. When did those lights first become a thing, though? And why are they red and blue?

Well, the distinction dates back to the very beginning of cars, to the early 1900s. In those very early days of the automobile, police opted to use convertibles to differentiate themselves from civilian vehicles. That way, people would see them and their hats and uniforms. And if they needed to get your attention, officers would use hand signals or simply yell at you. But in the 1930s, red lights were incorporated to let people know that the police were around. This evolved into a rotating light by the late 1940s (nicknamed a gumball or bubble light due to it looking like the top of a gumball machine). Michigan State Police, by the way, still uses these. It took a few more decades to incorporate blue lights, with those arriving, for the most part, in the 1960s.

Gumball lights mostly turned into horizontal lights in the ’60s, before a blue light came into the picture in the late-’60s. Why did they add a second color? And why blue? It all had to do with visibility during both day and night, and differentiating from aeronautical and nautical vessels, which used red lights. The addition of blue lights helped police cars further stand out since civilian car taillights were red, too. The addition of blue lights was also said to improve visibility for those with colorblindness.

Nowadays, most police cars are fitted with LED lights that get super bright. They make the cars noticeable for most drivers, and they’re handy for when the cops have pulled someone over and want to be seen on the side of the highway. And for unmarked police cars trying to be more covert, these lights may be hidden behind grilles or behind the windshield. Hidden or not, flashing red-and-blue lights remain the universal symbol of “the police are here, pull over or get out of the way,” 60 years after the combo first appeared.