Beacon Light Color Discussion

[TowZone]

This is an active discussion found on FB;

 

This image started the discussion about Amber vs Blue/Red.

 

In respect I will only use name of those who are registered on TowForce. If you find that you comments have been copied here and you are registered on TowForce please chime in. Thanks

 

FB1 Member Creating Post:

For those that think blue lights will stop them from hitting you, the officer was beyond upset😂 no $hit he was upset.

 

FB2 Member:

Pretty ignorant remark man. Places that have changed their colors have seen a drop in these incidents. If it saves 1 of our lives, its worth it.

 

FB1 Member:

Post the proof please, actual numbers.

 

FB2 Member:

ask the guys in Saskatchewan that have had theirs changed. Doesn't get more proof than that.

 

FB1 Member:

Well how can you say that with no actual numbers? Here say is not proof. Why would these cop cars all over Ontario constantly get hit? Blue lights are not stopping it. Ignorance and lack of education, stricker fines and or license suspensions will.

 

FB2 Member:

Ontario uses blue lights more than the rest of us. You are trying to say that bc it may not work there, it wont work at all. even plows in Ontario use them. Private plows were allowed as well in Ontario but not sure if that is still legal. The idea is a color that isn't used for everyone. In other areas only the police use them. Thus ppl pay more attn. It isn't going to stop the problem but it will work. I dont believe its ignorance or lack of education either. Common sense and giving a shit about ppl on the hwy is what is lacking. We already have huge fines and it isn't working.

 

FB3 Member:

blue lights will not stop roadside assistance vehicles from getting hit, but they will reduce the number...so its worth it

 

TowZone said:

There is no evidence that the color of lights effects the actual statistics. Many of us want that to be true. However in reality the reason in the past fewer police vehicles were struck was because they often had back up. We are now seeing an increase in the number of police vehicles being struck and those number are rising rapidly. Taking that into effect we now find ourselves in the Towing Industry questioning the effect of the color of lights. I run Red, Blue, Amber combo and I have run them separately. I don't see enough difference to suggest that one is better than the other. Focusing on the color of the lights only masks the reason this is occurring more and more. Thankfully our number of Tower Down notification are Down this year. But, I don't say that very loud and I say a prayer when I do. Amen

 

FB4 Member said:

TowZone, could not have been said better

 

FB5 Member said:

actually that's bullshit. Blue, red, white, pink or purple. I drive a tow truck and work on the roads and as i always say you can build a damn wall around us and they'd still find a damn way to hit us. Doesnt matter what you do, its never gonna end and the numbers will always be high, so as long as people only care about themselves and dont pay attention on the roads. Simple as that

 

FB2 said:

So why are less police hit statistically? Stats don't lie

 

TowZone said:

Officers are actually struck at a higher rate than Tow Operators. The Towing Industry just does not keep up with those stats. As an industry we do not even know the actual number of Tow Operators are struck annually, we only know the ones that are reported via news media or social media. More than half the industry is not on social media and the many are in rural areas where news doesn't always travel. I do not have actual numbers but I would have to say officers are struck at a higher rate and tow ops are killed at a higher rate. Somewhere in there are highway workers. If anyone knows where we might piece together these numbers please advise.

 

FB6 Member said:

There are tow trucks in Wisconsin, Washington, Missouri and Kansas just off the top of my head that run Red or Red/Blue and still have a high number of collisions. Illinois State Police have had 15 Troopers hit alone in 2019 already in which THREE have died. It simply doesn't matter what colors blinkies you have. Plain and simple. Only you can get yourself home everyday and that's not a guarantee. I get that hoping that blue or red/blue lights will slow them down but it won't. All its gonna do is put false hope into a driver and that driver will take his/her focus off the road and the worst happens.

Just my opinion. I like most have been doing this long enough and know that as long as a human being is in control, NOBODY is safe.

 

FB7 Member said:

Red and blue lights do slow A majority of drivers down maybe they should start investing In enforcement tools

 

FB8 Member said:

I've been on the shoulder 36 years now and still alive. I run a red and blue strobe bar on a tripod, I know for 100% fact it does slow them down. Its not speculation or guesswork, its FACT! However, it's just another tool and ain't doing a damn thing to stop a 5000lb car driven by a 19 yrar old with a phone their face so if you don't have good awareness you'll win a Darwin award. But red and blue definitely shifts the odds your way a bit. In heavy city traffic it slows the flow by 5 to 10mph because when one driver slows a bit it causes a chain reaction slowing the entire flow. Out in the open they still come by at the 75mph speed limit but a hell of a lot more of them move over a lane.

 

FB6 Member said:

I should also mention that until now with Troopers getting hit, enforcement of our SD/MO law was a joke. When it was enforced, judges would usually dismiss the case or barely slap the offender of the wrist. So nobody cared...

Now that enforcement is at a all time high across the US, now people are actually starting to obey...

 

illinois-senate-wants-to-add-scott-s-law-question-

 

Just came across that as I was scrolling through my news feed.... How nice to finally make sure people know to use your common sense and let people live.

Scott's Law includes ALL vehicles with hazard/4 way flashers and warning lights on the shoulder. In Illinois we just had a trucker killed on Friday while he was re-securing his straps on the road. He was side swiped by a car and the passenger of the car died as well....

 

TowZone said:

is it the color or is it the additional light itself. To know for sure if the color has much effect would to to experiment in similar conditions with Amber compared to Blue/Red Steve Ronin Westerfield one would think that the increase in officer deaths related to similar conditions tow operators are killed would cause concern. This concern would lead to an increase in enforcing the current SD/MO Laws. I suppose we just have not gotten past the fact judges do not hold the violators accountable for their actions. Officers do not even want to bother writing those citations, even though they know the effect it can have.

 

FB6 Member said:

TowZone, I agree. Up to this point LEOs weren't even bothering wasting time writing tickets for this because judges would just barely slap the person on the wrist. If it wasn't for the fact that THREE Illinois State Troopers were killed in such a short span and that so many squads have in hit in 3 months, I don't think a thing would've changed if they have at all. LEOs are definitely stepping up the game when it comes to SD/MO but now the question is, what are judges gonna do?

 

FB8 Member said:

Way more tow truck drivers get hit. Cops dont enforce move over for them so tbh I dont care. Think about towers then I will

 

TowZone said:

Officers Care, Judges Don't...

 

FB8 Member said:

alot of officers dont care here.

 

FB9 Member said:

Blue lights won't do shit

 

FB10 Member said:

There’s a lot of drivers on the the HWYs that just don’t care who you are or what your doing there and your in there way and it’s sad for saying this but it’s true . I hope they throw the book at the person that did this to the police officer.

 

FB2 Member said:

Hey, guess what. Nobody is making you guys use them. Ill happily let you all go to just amber if thats what you want. I do find it odd that you that have used them say they dont work. So why are you using them? Me, Ill take whatever i can get. 1 life saved makes it worth it.

 

FB12 Member said:

a survey would be good ….age ..gender...ethnic group...type of vehicle...time of accident,,,.weather conditions...road condition....I for one would like to know which group of society is causing the most accidents

 

Wade200 said:

There are optical engineers out there who are adamant that more and brighter flashing lights are not the answer to this problem! Its called "Moth to the Flame phenomenon", where human (and animals,bugs etc.) brains get fixated on the bright lights and are actually drawn to the bright lights. This theory is not at all popular with lighting manufacturers and installers, since there is a ton of money being spent on warning lights and installation. Then theres "My truck has more lights than yours" syndrome and it only makes matters worse. No one is discounting the actual larger issue of cell phone use and the whole distracted driving plague. I also have another theory on this, which I've discussed with many long time wrecker owners & operators that usually brings more discussions. I'm not sure a FaceBook posting is actually the best place for that discussion either.

 

TowZone said:

you are correct. I see drivers turning upper work lights on. This not only blinds oncoming traffic it also washes out the strobes regardless of color. Those work light turns an impaired driver into that "Moth to a Flame".

 

FB6 Member said:

is correct, more is NOT better! Is placement and patterns. Not the most and brightest.