Vehicle Emergency Lights Save The Day

In any community, when an emergency occurs requiring the response of civil emergency response units, it is obvious that prompt arrival is essential. If a crime is being committed, a fire breaks out, or a person requires immediate medical attention, emergency response vehicles need to get there as fast as possible, and since the advent of automobiles vehicle emergency lights have been a crucial asset to this end.

Most emergency vehicles are automobiles - except in extreme circumstances where airborne units are required for their speed or ability to stay out of harm's way - and as such they are susceptible to the same traffic the average person experiences on a regular basis. Vehicle emergency lights, almost always in cooperation with the distinct, loud song of a siren, are designed to alert traffic to the presence of incoming emergency vehicles so that drivers can maneuver out of their way providing a quicker, smoother, safer route of passage to the emergency. Whereas sirens are designed to be loud and distinct, providing an unmistakable audio cue, vehicle emergency lights are designed to be an obvious visual indication.

Police units typically use emergency vehicle lights for a wider variety of purposes than ambulances or fire trucks. Whereas those are typically used to announce their arrival and signal traffic to make room for their passage, police cars often find two other primary uses. If an emergency is particularly serious and requires a great deal of time to attend to, police cars are often dispatched to the perimeter of the scene to signal others that emergency conditions are present and that their interference is unacceptable. Obviously police officers are also on hand to physically seal off the area and deal with any onlookers or passersby. Squad cars and patrol units will also use emergency vehicle lights as a means to signal other drivers, either to make way or, more often than not, to pull over for an interaction with the officer.

To study their effectiveness, research has been done on the various patterns of emergency lighting. Conclusions were made that strobe lighting conveyed greater urgency to other drivers, with increasing frequency of the flashing indicating increased urgency. When two lighting fixtures were used, simultaneous flashing garnered more attention that alternating, due largely in part to the doubled brightness when both lights were projecting. In designing emergency vehicle lights, manufacturers must constantly balance the need for increased visibility with consideration for the effects on other drivers.

Flashing lights can prove very distracting to other drivers, often obscuring vision, and in some cases the strobing effects can trigger symptoms in epileptics, which poses the obvious dangers to both those drivers and any around them. Emergency lighting may also pose a threat to emergency personnel or construction workers who are frequently exposed to them during the course of their work, causing potential eye damage.

Article by Paul Wise. Paul, using quite a few vehicle emergency lights, recommends Qualityemergencylights.com for tips on vehicle emergency lights as well as tips on such gears.