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Why are "Follow Me" cars painted black and yellow, and use square shapes in their design?

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    $\begingroup$ So that they are easy to see. $\endgroup$
    – 60levelchange
    Nov 1, 2018 at 7:39
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    $\begingroup$ Not all follow me cars are painted yellow and black. $\endgroup$
    – Mike Sowsun
    Nov 1, 2018 at 11:49
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    $\begingroup$ Ever notice how the lines on the airport are painted yellow on (mostly) black asphalt? You follow the yellow lines on taxiways and to get off the runway at a taxiway. So it might make sense to have the same color scheme. I’ve only seen golf carts as follow me vehicles, and never painted yellow, so I’m guessing it’s not a standard of any sort. $\endgroup$
    – JScarry
    Nov 3, 2018 at 18:31
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    $\begingroup$ White/black has the highest contrast, which is why most countries use only white paint on roads. US/CA use yellow to divide opposing directions due to the extra danger (see answer below) even though it's slightly lower contrast; some countries use yellow instead of white on roads frequently dusted with snow for all-season contrast. Applying these conventions for runways and taxiways is fairly obvious, especially when you consider that airports will spend more effort keeping runways clear of snow than taxiways. $\endgroup$
    – StephenS
    Nov 3, 2018 at 20:01

2 Answers 2

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Yellow and black together are highly visible in any light, especially if there are sharp, straight lines between them; our eyes are drawn to that combo and our brains are evolved to recognize it as a danger. Think of bumblebees.

Stationary objects tend to be painted white and red for similar reasons.

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It is because when you are taxiing behind the follow me in a dark night with a dark pavement it will make the car become more easy visible to the pilots, specially in low visibility operations

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    $\begingroup$ Welcome to the site! What you say seems to be true but it just duplicates what the existing answer says. We're really grateful that you're trying to help but please only answer if you have something new to say. $\endgroup$
    – David Richerby
    Nov 3, 2018 at 10:16

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