Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

I currently work for a nighttime shuttle service at The University of Arizona in Tucson. Part of my job puts me in charge of repairing and maintaining cars. As a part of this i sometimes have to respond to flat tires, breakdowns, etc. on location at night. We run through neighborhoods near campus so this can mean working on cars on the side of some dark but busy streets. I often respond to these in my own truck. What I wanted to ask is would I be able to put strobe lights (either individual amber ones or hidden white ones in turn signal, headlight, tail light or back-up light housings) on my truck to give myself some extra visibility to passing cars and therefore be better protected. Thanks for any help.

I'm not from Arizona, but they wouldn't be legal in Oregon. Headlights and regular hazard lights work pretty good to alert other drivers. If they aren't deterred by them, they won't be deterred by anything. Strobe lights are too bright and could easily blind other motorists. And if the street is that dark, the headlights and hazard lights will be even more effective.

In my state the white would be illegal but an amber light would be ok.

Thanks, I was mainly thinking of doing the amber lights if I did anything anyway and it sounds like those are more likely to be ok? I also work on streets that aren't as dark so the hazards must not be as noticeable since I've nearly been hit half a dozen times.

To be honest, I doubt strobe lights would help all that much. I've nearly been hit with red and blue lights flashing on my car along with strobe lights. Idiots are idiots and you really can't do much to protect yourself from them.

I never understand why it has to be the slick strobe lights and it can't be a rotating amber bubble-top + hazards or something similarly inexpensive and visible.

I never understand why it has to be the slick strobe lights and it can't be a rotating amber bubble-top + hazards or something similarly inexpensive and visible.
Because they're really going to be blue or red. :yesnod: