In 1914, an African-American invented a safer traffic signal: How Garrett Augustus Morgan changed road safety after seeing a horrific crash

In 1914, an African-American invented a safer traffic signal, which is such a common part of daily life that most people never stop to think about how it came to be. But more than a century ago, when roads were shared by automobiles, horse-drawn carriages, bicycles and pedestrians, moving through a busy intersection was often dangerous. One inventor believed there had to be a better way.

Garrett Augustus Morgan Sr., an American inventor and businessman, introduced a safer traffic signal system after witnessing a serious road crash. His three-position design became the foundation for the traffic signals used around the world today. According to the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), Morgan's work was a major step in improving road safety and later influenced the development of modern Intelligent Transportation Systems.

From a Kentucky farm to becoming an inventor

Garrett Morgan was born on March 4, 1877, in Paris, Kentucky, to parents who had previously been enslaved. As noted by Britannica and the USDOT, he left school after elementary education and moved north as a teenager in search of work.


After spending time in Cincinnati, he settled in Cleveland, Ohio, where he repaired sewing machines. Curious by nature, Morgan constantly looked for better ways to solve everyday problems. He opened a sewing machine repair business in 1907 and later expanded into a tailoring company that employed more than 30 workers. His business success eventually gave him the freedom to focus on inventions.

Over the years, Morgan created several useful products, including a successful hair-care formula, a safety hood that became an early version of the gas mask, and his famous traffic signal.

A road accident that inspired a safer traffic signal

In the early 1900s, traffic was becoming increasingly difficult to manage. Cars had begun appearing on American roads, but horse-drawn wagons, bicycles and pedestrians were still using the same streets.

According to Britannica, Morgan witnessed a collision involving an automobile and a horse-drawn carriage carrying a young child. The USDOT also notes that seeing crashes between automobiles and horse-drawn vehicles convinced him that traffic safety needed improvement.

At the time, most traffic signals had only two commands — stop and go. Because they switched directly from one to the other, drivers often entered intersections at the same moment, leading to frequent collisions.

The invention that changed intersections

Morgan developed a manually operated, T-shaped traffic signal with three positions: Stop, Go, and an all-directional stop.

The additional stop phase briefly halted traffic from every direction before vehicles on another road were allowed to move. This short pause reduced confusion, lowered the risk of crashes and also gave pedestrians a safer chance to cross the street.

The system could also be placed in a half-mast position during quieter hours, signalling drivers to proceed carefully. The USDOT says this feature worked much like the flashing caution signals seen at some intersections today.

Morgan applied for a U.S. patent for the invention, which was granted on November 20, 1923. He later secured patents in Britain and Canada as well. Although other inventors had experimented with similar ideas, the USDOT states that Morgan was the first to apply for and receive a U.S. patent for a three-position traffic signal.

He later sold the rights to the invention to the General Electric Corporation for $40,000, and his design remained in use across North America before evolving into today's familiar red, yellow and green traffic lights.

Morgan's work extended beyond traffic safety

Morgan's contributions were not limited to roads. In 1914, he patented a Safety Hood and Smoke Protector, an invention regarded as a forerunner of the modern gas mask.

Its value became clear in 1916 after an explosion in a tunnel beneath Lake Erie trapped several workers. Morgan entered the tunnel wearing his safety hood and helped rescue survivors. According to the USDOT, the rescue brought national attention to his invention, which was later refined for use by firefighters and soldiers during World War I.

Morgan also supported African American communities through business and journalism. He founded the Cleveland Call newspaper in 1920 and remained active in social causes throughout his life.

Today, Garrett Morgan is remembered not only as an inventor but also as someone whose practical ideas made everyday life safer. His traffic signal, born from witnessing a tragic accident, continues to influence the way millions of people travel through intersections every day.