Emergency Lighting Discipline

Blinded by the lights

“I’m so sorry….I didn’t see him….I topped the hill and saw all the lights….. I was blinded and I couldn’t see a damn thing! Why do you guys have so many lights? It’s way too confusing!”

Causes

3 causes emergency personnel are struck on-scene:

Inconsistent lighting policies

Improper reflective vests

Working outside a safe work zone

More lights do not make a safer scene!

Quick Clearance & Safety

TIME Task force I-95 Corridor

Coalition ITS FHWA NUG GOHS GRTA TRAG TIM Teams

Carnival Effect

multiple colors of flashing lights create a psychological attraction

California

The collision rate for emergency vehicles displaying multiple lights (Blue, red, clear)…or any combination…..while parked next to a highway or on the roadway was 2.5 times higher for the same 100K miles driven than for non-emergency vehicles.

Illinois

The Illinois State Police removed light bars from 50% of it’s fleet and their study revealed the vehicles without the light bars were involved in 65% fewer accidents both parked and moving than those equipped with the light bars.

New York

New York State Police utilize one amber flashing light on the driver’s side of the light bar at the rear and no longer use other emergency lighting during emergency incidents, when they would normally utilize full emergency lighting (light bars, multiple LED’s, etc).

Arizona

Findings suggested that AMBER lighting was less likely to blind drivers and also less likely to draw the interest and attention of passing drivers.

Moth to the flame

If you look at it and focus / gaze on it….you’ll hit it!

Strobes

“Lighting systems that are highly conspicuous (e.g. strobe lights) are often poor at providing speed and distance cues and vice versa.”

Severely impact the reaction times of rear approaching drivers to emergency vehicles.

Red

FireEmergency

Stop

Blue

Law Enforcement

Amber

All first responders

Recommendations

An LED Amber light on the left side of the light bar or rear deck should be arranged for activation on a single, stand-alone switch.

The wig-wags are currently set up on a single switch and should be turned off upon arrival at a scene as part of the ‘shut down’ procedure.

Use standardized blue and clear lighting to move through and around traffic during an ‘emergency’ mode. Upon arrival, turn off the distracting bright LED’s or strobes and activate a single, slow flashing LED amber warning signal.