Understanding Emergency Vehicle Lighting

Law enforcement and other emergency response vehicles require emergency vehicle lighting, to facilitate their fast and safe movement through traffic, by sending adequate warning to other road users of impending emergencies. Police cruisers, security vehicles, fire engines, ambulances, and tow trucks, are the most common vehicles that require the emergency lighting. There is a wide variety of lights in terms of the color scheme variation, purpose, and fitting. The choice of lighting will largely depend on the available legislation, type of vehicle to be fitted, the intended purpose of the lights, and individual preferences.

The types of emergency vehicle lighting can be categorized depending on the point on the vehicle that they are fitted. These types include strobes, grille or surface mount lights, bumper guard mounted lights, visor lights, led dash lights, deck lights, light bars, and headlight flashers. Most vehicles belonging to law enforcement agencies, such as police cruisers are mounted with headlight flashers, and light bars on the roof. However, unmarked police vehicles will rarely be fitted with such obvious lighting; instead, they will have grille lights, dashboard lights, or even a removable strobe that can be placed at different positions on the vehicle during an emergency.

The distinct feature about emergency lighting for vehicles is the color scheme variation. Common examples are lights for fire engines and ambulances, which are red in color. Police vehicles on the other hand use a variety of colors including a combination of red, blue, and white LED lights; depending on the state regulations. The importance of these color variations is to enable other motorists to identify and differentiate between oncoming and stationary emergency vehicles.

The style of emergency vehicle lighting chosen is never a big issue, provided the primary purpose of the lights is fulfilled i.e. make the vehicle identifiable as an emergency vehicle. State regulations is the single most important factor to consider, when selecting the lights to fit. Having satisfied state regulations, any other factors, or preferences may be considered. It is also important to ensure that the lights are mounted in such a way that they are operational and prominently displayed, to make them visible at the time of responding to emergencies. One important precaution though is that, in choosing emergency lighting, always make sure that they are of the correct intensity to avoid blinding other motorists.

For many years, a single rotary incandescent light was common, with most emergency vehicles. In recent years, however, LED lights have become the preferred choice for making emergency vehicle lighting. This is due to the low cost, aesthetic value, luminosity, and high efficiency, associated with LED lighting. These lights emit a powerful beam that is visible from far distances, thus making them ideal for emergency lighting. Another advantage, pertaining to law enforcement vehicles, is that LED lights can be designed to be thin and flat; thus making them suitable for fitting on unmarked police cars, which can be used for undercover work. Furthermore, LED lights have a distinct advantage over traditional strobes, in that they are easy to program, so as to create a variety of flashing patterns.