West Hartford's Traffic Lights Looking Different These Days

WEST HARTFORD, CT — Motorists scooting through town may notice something different with the traffic lights at local intersections — there appears to be a nice, sharp border surrounding the light structure.

But, the Town of West Hartford said, these are not for show. They're designed to help people go — and do so safely.

They're called "traffic signal backplates," and they have a simple mission: to help improve visibility on the road and keep drivers attentive.

Local officials said these traffic signal backplates will be installed on all suitable town signals by the end of 2025.

Some have already gone up.

The reflective, yellow colors make the traffic lights stand out during periods of the day when the lights can be harder to spot.

"Retroreflective backplates are a Federal Highway Administration Proven Safety Countermeasure and have been found to reduce crashes at intersections up to 15 percent," wrote the Town of West Hartford.

Of course, the backplate push is part of the town's 'Vision Zero' traffic safety initiative, which strives to eliminate serious injury crashes/incidents for motorists and pedestrians alike.

The hope is that traffic lights that are easier to spot for ever-busy motorists will cut down on crashes involving vehicles and pedestrians.

For more information on West Hartford's 'Vision Zero' initiative, click on this link.

From Aug. 14: 'Sobering Stats Unveiled In West Hartford About Accident Victims'