Is Texas the Only State That Uses Horizontal Stoplights?

Are horizontal stoplights just a Texas thing?

Seriously – I’ve traveled to many parts of the United States as well as Europe and South America and I feel like I’ve seen horizontal stoplights everywhere. But maybe I’m misremembering that.

Because someone posted a video on TikTok asking if the use of horizontal stoplights is just a Texas thing. So, that made me second-guess my memory.

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And since I’m a nerd who has to get to the bottom of every question random people ask online, I decided to do a little Googling to see what I could find out. And what do you know? It’s a question that has actually been asked on Quora.

It’s also the subject of several articles that have been written online.

It turns out that it’s not just a Texas thing as I had thought. A picture that was shared in response to the aforementioned question on Quora shows horizontal stoplights in Nebraska. However, I’m clearly misremembering seeing them all over the place.

According to an article published recently on CarBuzz, the states that employ horizontal stoplights do so for varying reasons. But the main reasons are clearance, cost, and visibility. But many states that have to deal with high winds use them because they’re more aerodynamic.

So, there you have it. The burning of the day has been answered. Now back to laughing at random memes on Twitter.