Fast Facts: Red Light, Green Light

UNITED STATES— Those lights at the bow of the boat aren’t just Christmas decorations, they play a very important role on a boat.   In 1838, The United States passed the Admiralty Law, also known as the maritime law, which is a combination of U.S. and international laws. Under this law it is required that steamboats operating between sunset and sunrise must carry one or more signal lights; color, visibility, and location were not specified. The consideration of the law came after numerous vessels crashing due to weak visibility of one another during hindered lighting.   In 1846, the United Kingdom passed legislation that allowed Lord High Admiral of the United Kingdom (the ceremonial head of the Royal Navy) to publish regulations that required all sea-going steam vessels carry lights.   In 1848, the admiralty exercised these powers and finalized the requirement of displaying red and green sidelights as well as the white masthead light above, and the all-around white light when anchored, as confirmed by maritime attorney, David Weil. Today, navigational lights aboard ships are determined by the International Maritime Organization. They have established a criterion for light requirements based on the size and make of the vessel.   The red and green lights are called navigation...