THIS day in 1868 was when the first traffic lights were installed, outside the Houses of Parliament in London.

Railway engineer JP Knight is credited with their invention as a way to control horse-drawn vehicles passing through the area.

During the day the lights comprised a set of semaphore arms that looked like a railway signal.

At night a revolving lantern with red and green signals was used, controlled by a police constable. There was no amber light at the time so the PC would blow a whistle to indicate when the signals were about to change.

On the night of January 2, 1869, a leak from one of the gas lines caused an explosion which injured the policeman operating it. Due to the safety fears this raised the signals in this form were not used again.

The first electric traffic lights in Britain were in Piccadilly Circus in 1926.

To mark the occasion of the first traffic lights we present this infographic from www.think-ins.co.uk showing 16 of the most bizarre driving laws on the planet.

Among other odd rules, it reveals how Russians don’t like dirty cars and Alaskans don’t like you driving with a dog on your roof.

Click on the graphic below to open a larger version.

This Is Local London: Strange driving laws