Traffic Light System
<div class="traffic-light-container">
<input type="checkbox" id="traffic-light" class="hidden" />
<label for="traffic-light" class="traffic-wrapper">
<div class="traffic-box">
<div class="light red-light"></div>
<div class="light yellow-light"></div>
<div class="light green-light"></div>
</div>
<span class="traffic-text">Traffic Light</span>
</label>
</div>About Traffic Light System
Traffic Light System is a checkbox built with a keyframe animation, transforms and layered shadows. Its stylesheet runs to 77 lines across 15 rules, declaring 20 distinct properties. It styles checked state explicitly, so the component responds to interaction rather than sitting still. The animation is driven by keyframe sequences named yellow-blink and green-activate, which you can retime or remove without touching the rest of the styling. Every format shown on this page is the same component, so you can take HTML, CSS and Tailwind depending on how your project is set up. Nothing is minified and nothing depends on a framework.
When to use
- Settings panels and forms, where state has to read at a glance, where a city and traffic checkbox fits the surrounding design
- A single prominent checkbox rather than a row of them, since the yellow-blink animation runs continuously and several at once compete with each other
- Palettes built around red, yellow and green, where this checkbox can be dropped in without retheming
- Places where one control is meant to be memorable, since 77 lines of CSS is a real investment for a single element
How it works
The base rule sets the shape with border-radius, display, height and padding. Movement is done with transforms rather than by changing position or size, which is what keeps it smooth: transforms are composited and do not force the browser to lay the page out again. State changes are eased with a transition, so hovering does not snap. The looping motion comes from yellow-blink and green-activate. Changing the animation-duration is usually the only edit needed to make it faster or calmer.
Accessibility
Built on a native <input> element, so keyboard focus and screen reader semantics work without extra attributes. No focus style is defined. Add one before shipping, or keyboard users lose track of position. Animates without a prefers-reduced-motion guard. Wrap the animation in that query if motion sensitivity matters to your audience. Those are 2 things to fix before this ships in front of users.
Browser support
Everything this component uses has been supported across browsers for years, so no fallback is needed.
Related components
Frequently asked questions
Traffic Light System
<div class="traffic-light-container">
<input type="checkbox" id="traffic-light" class="hidden" />
<label for="traffic-light" class="traffic-wrapper">
<div class="traffic-box">
<div class="light red-light"></div>
<div class="light yellow-light"></div>
<div class="light green-light"></div>
</div>
<span class="traffic-text">Traffic Light</span>
</label>
</div>What is inside Traffic Light System
Traffic Light System is a CSS checkbox built with a keyframe animation, transforms, layered shadows, defined in 77 lines across 15 selectors.
Techniques used
Animations defined: yellow-blinkgreen-activate
CSS properties in this component
align-itemsanimationbackgroundborderborder-radiusbox-shadowcolorcursordisplayflex-directionfont-weightgapheightinputjustify-contentopacitypaddingtransformtransitionwidthAccessibility check2 to fix
- Built on a native <input> element, so keyboard focus and screen reader semantics work without extra attributes.
- No focus style is defined. Add one before shipping, or keyboard users lose track of position.
- Animates without a prefers-reduced-motion guard. Wrap the animation in that query if motion sensitivity matters to your audience.
These notes are generated by reading this component's own source, so they describe what it actually does rather than what a template says. Copy the code above in HTML, CSS, Tailwind and adapt it freely.