Next-Generation Traffic Incident Management: Technology for Saving Lives (NextGen TIM Tech): Emergency Vehicle Lighting

Details

• Corporate Creators:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Contributors:
  Tebo, Joseph ; Austrich, James ; Jodoin, Paul
• Subject/TRT Terms:
  • Incident management
  • Emergency vehicles
  • Vehicle lighting
  • Traffic safety
• Publication/ Report Number:
  FHWA-HOP-24-053
• Resource Type:
  Brief
• Right Statement:
  Public Domain
• Geographical Coverage:
  United States
• Corporate Publisher:
  United States. Department of Transportation. Federal Highway Administration
• Abstract:
  Emergency warning lights ahead are a cue to drivers to slow down, move over, and be cautious. The challenge is that there is no national standard for the color, placement, intensity, or flash pattern of emergency warning lights across police, fire, emergency medical services, transportation, and towing vehicles. The Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices for Streets and Highways (MUTCD) warns that “the use of too many lights at an incident scene can be distracting and can create confusion for approaching road users, especially at night.”1 While emergency vehicle lights are not traffic control devices, they do form the basis for important visual communication that affects the way drivers interact with emergency responders stopped at roadway incidents. To make the most effective use of these lighting systems, responder agencies should strive for S-M-A-R-T use of warning lights.
• Format:
  PDF
• Download URL:
  https://rosap.ntl.bts.gov/view/dot/88238/dot_88238_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 1.99 MB]
• Collection(s):
  Federal Highway Administration
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:cd8a014d89de1c090b0629a0905fb88ab386e7bdc1d9e9d19dde6a501242661addbdba928b379fe80c76e3d6c81147536b76210339dc0b2b9b28e327e821d8a5