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Amber lights on everything...


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In 2009 AllCountyTowing said:

Is it just me or is there flashing lights on just about everything now adays??? Construction pickups just driving down streets, fuel tankers, armored cars, garbage trucks, postal trucks... I'm sure there's others.... Whats going on??

 

twinbulls said:

LOL.... My pizza guy has a led light ...LOL !!!

 

Acestowing said:

Its the same here in Ontario, every school bus even has a strobe light on at all times, I'm finding more and more that when 4 wheelers see flashing yellow lights it means to them it must be going slow and so I should get the hell going to make sure I'm ahead of it!
Bryce Weber - Aces Towing - WM 091409 Level 6/7
 
Brian Bell said:
Yes they are on the back of Salt Water Tankers all kinds of other oil field equipment, city buses, etc..etc..etc.. Just the other day I noticed 2 dump trucks going down the road with flashing amber lights on the tail board...

I remember the 1st wrecker I drove had a LP light bar on it with 2 1157 bulbs in it instead of the halogen bulbs ......But people still slowed down...Then again there were maybe 100 cell phones in town back then and they were that big.

Here are the Red Lights I have to get them to move over... They do help sometimes.
 
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Gale25yrs said:
In my travels I have come to the conclusion that I am the only competent driver on the road and everyone else should be running warning lights so I can avoid them cause they sure do a lousy job of keeping away from me. In today's world warnings of all kinds are a substitute form any form of common sense and responsibility.
 
Ibflat2 said:
I see it also, and we have the "live haulers" and feed trailers for the chicken plants with yellow strobes or flashing lights on them now. So many vehicles with lights now that it is getting dangerous just trying to keep alert for the lights and were they are that people are forgetting that they do mean something is slow or sitting on the side of the road.

Maybe if everyone is using yellow lights we need to work on a "NATIONAL LAW" where we can at least have red lights in the warning light bar for when we are working.
 
WEBOSLH said:
Amber lights on everything? Would you like fries with that?.
Tom Jr
 
DrillSgt503 said:
I too have noticed everything up here has Amber strobes. They don't even slow down even when the police are behind us too.
 
Melville said:
this is the reason i have been an advocate for letting wreckers run the combination of red and amber lights, police run red and blue, ems run red and white, fd run red and red, there is no first responder that runs red and amber which i believe that wreckers should, this would remove them from the multitude of amber runners, and set us apart.
 
Taz said:
I see the same thing around me in eastern P.A. Everything has lights on it and I don't think people care any more there so use to seeing them they don't even pay attention to them anymore. I wish it was different but till the state make it a law to get a permit for them everyone will have them.

On a funny or not so funny note depends how you take it. My neighbor is a firefighter and his little pick up has more strobes and light bars on it then both my tow trucks combined and my trucks look like the circus is coming to town when I'm working along side the highway.
 
towman33 said:
I started about a year ago running the white led's cause here in mass red and blue are not aloud but i do agree that the public has grown numb to the amber light and recently i'm noticing that the state and local pd is running amber in their bars maybe to remind the public that amber is a emergency light.
 
davesc1 said:
The tow trucks around here have them on all the time when they are towing vehicles,i even see rollbacks loaded going down the road with lights on,it just makes the public pay less attention,as if it wasn't bad enough.Then in the winter time the local idiots that plow residential driveways have their lights on all the time,the public have become oblivious to the amber lights.
 
leroy hedrick said:
her in wv i call them the hey look at me lights or see me go lights ,everyone wants to be seen nowdays,whew !! look at me go !!! i got my blinkys on lol
 
heavytrainee said:
We can also run red and blue lights in Missouri. Like Kansas we are considered emergency vehicles, but since we are close to IL we have to have a couple of ambers because IL does allow tow trucks red and blues.
 
DennisMHDT said:
Personally, I feel tow trucks should at least be required to have flashing lights. The rotating light just doesn't do enough to warn people.

As far as what I see though, every utility company around here has yellow lights, and most drivers keep them on all the time.Then you have the flatbed driver who keeps his lights on with one on the deck, what's the purpose? I know I've forgotten to turn my lights off after getting rolling sometimes, but as soon as I see them reflecting off something, they go right off.
applesig.jpg
 
EdsTowing said:
I'll tell you Dennis, I have seen some hook ups that make me think it is a good idea to have the light on since they are probably creating a potential traffic hazard!
 
quigma1 said:
It used to be in Pa, and for some reason I can not find the law. It stated that you were not permitted to drive down the road with you amber warning light (lightbar) on unless you were a real hazard to the motoring public. It meant, driving slow, or the vehicle you were towing was not directly behind you. I see towers driving all over the place with their light bars on, strobes on, all day. Whats the hazard? Why do you have your ambers on if the vehicle your towing is not a hazard to the motoring public? Or the vehicle is on your carrier bed? Ambers are on everything today. That is part of the problem why we do not get any respect while working the shoulder of the highway. I'm not in favor of red-blues on towing equipment. That should be for law enforcement only. Blue here in Pa, is for volunteer fire fighters and fire police. We should have our very own designated color when out on the highway. Oh, by the way, you guys with strobes, in grilles, headlights, behind your windshield, or in the tail lights or anywhere else, except the light bar are not covered anywhere in the Pa code for permissible lighting for tow trucks. The Pa code is very specific on what is permissible for wreckers.
 
Andys08Towing said:
I run amber white combo and even then I notice no one slows down but with the amber white combo I do get noticed... I think we need to be able to atleast run red in the rear or a amber red combo in the rear... the red would atleast get us noticed on the high way and side of the road alot better
 
usmc041127 said:
We run red and blue and some white while on a call and sometimes even run them in motion depending on the circumstances. The amber lights are not emergency lights they are caution lights. When towing genraly we just run amber wig wags. On my personal truck I am running a code 3 with red and blues and have red and blue strobes in my grill and on the bottom back of my light bar where you see alot of arrow sticks located. We don't run the light bar to an accident unless told to expidite, which is about once a year. I belive to run them to and accident and expidite your legaly supose to have a siren. We just do what they tell us like little puppets. If I ever get a new truck of my own to drive. I will purchase an led stobe light bar. They have adjustable settings and I like the lower profile with them. I will be able to get into a couple more parking garages here.
 
kyresqtow said:
Sorry Kinda long

By KRS Statutes not even private snow plows are supposed to have yellow lights on them. Sections pertaining to towing are cut out and links to the full are posted.

But this does not mean the laws are enforced.

KRS 189.910 Definitions for KRS 189.920 to 189.950. http://www.lrc.ky.gov/KRS/189-00/910.PDF

(2) As used in KRS 189.920 to 189.950, "public safety vehicle" means public utility repair vehicle; wreckers; state, county, or municipal service vehicles and equipment; highway equipment which performs work that requires stopping and standing or moving at slow speeds within the traveled portions of highways; and vehicles which are escorting wide-load or slow-moving trailers or trucks.

KRS 189.920 Flashing lights. KRS 189.920

(4) All public safety vehicles shall be equipped with one (1) or more flashing, rotating, or oscillating yellow lights, visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of five hundred (500) feet to the front of the vehicle. Yellow flashing, rotating, or oscillating lights may also be used by vehicles operated by mail carriers while on duty, funeral escort vehicles, and church buses.

And Finally KRS 189.950

189.950 Prohibitions -- Exceptions.

(3) No motor vehicle, except those designated under KRS 189.910 to 189.950 as public safety vehicles, shall be equipped with, nor shall any person use upon any vehicle any yellow flashing, revolving, or oscillating light. This subsection shall not apply to the use of yellow lights for turn signals; or to emergency flasher lights for use when warning the operators of other vehicles of the presence of a vehicular traffic requiring the exercise of unusual care in approaching, overtaking, or passing; or to vehicles operated by mail carriers while on duty; funeral escort vehicles and church buses.

Whoops can't forget about this.

KRS 189.940

(6) No driver or operator of any emergency or public safety or other vehicle shall use the warning lights or siren, bell, or exhaust whistle of his vehicle for any purposes or under any circumstances other than those permitted by KRS 189.910 to 189.950.
(7) KRS 189.910 to 189.950 does not relieve the driver of any emergency or public safety vehicle from the duty to drive with due regard for the safety of all persons and property upon the highway.
 
Visit http://www.towmate.com/lightduty.html and stop running any type of yellow flashing light while towing.. part of the problem with our brothers and sisters being struck on the roadways is the fact that too many people are using the lights as tow lights... they are a warning light or as you stated a caution light... if you have the vehicle hooked up properly then there is no reason to be cautious around you... you are a truck with a trailer at that point... put your lights back there and turn off the yellows so that people do not get used to seeing them while vehicles are in motion.
 
Scott Burrows said:
I have gone from a state of confusion to a state of denial, with no adverse affects, either to myself or to those in close proximity.
SB
 
usmc041127 said:
We do this because when towing a wrecked car or something on dollies we run slower speeds and let other motorist know something is going on up ahead. If I am just doing a normal tow I dont use the wig wigs except in the fog. I do understand what you are saying. I think that the US Dept of Trans should make every state the same law so everyone is on the same sheet of music. That way people from other states know what is going on. Alot of times I have had to tow cars twisted on dollies and take up more room going down the road and believe there need to be some caution lights on.
 
kyresqtow said:
I can understand when you are creating a hazard such as taking up more room.... but the way you worded it... made it sound as if that is all you used on every tow. "When towing genraly we just run amber wig wags." Which leads me to believe you do not use tow lights...
 
Scott Burrows said:
I have always thought that there should be some type of interconnect that disables the warning lights when a roll back carrier is placed in gear.

For the one guy that knows how to properly display his amber warning lights, there are twenty more who feel they must "advertise" every tow.

Just my 2 cents worth, from many years of observations.
 
 
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Well...the only change that's happened on this topic since 2009 is that it's worse now than then.

Jeff Payne - Operator Services & Fleet Services Administrator

Statewide Wrecker Service, Inc - 263 Luxomni Road - Lilburn, GA 30047

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