subject: Police Car Lights Are Silent Communicators [print this page] Red light communicates the existence of a situation that requires immediate attention, while amber light exhorts road users to proceed cautiously. The communication pattern of the lights, however, varies from state to state. It is often said that silence can sometimes speak more powerfully than words. Though it is a metaphorical statement, the way police car lights communicate with others on the road makes the statement very true.
The warning mechanism, which police vehicles employ for communicating, is a combination of visual and aural signals. Police vehicles announce themselves on the road with the sound of its screeching sirens and the glow of its flashing police lights. When these vehicles are approaching from a distance, it is the sirens that become audible first and the police car lights enter the circle of vision of other drivers only after that. However, once the police cars enter the visible territory, the police lights on it do more of the active part of the communication than its sirens.
Police car lights are referred to as active visual warning agents to differentiate it from passive visual warning agents. The term passive visual warning is used to refer to warning signals, which rely on painting of signs, or distinctive emblems, or special coloring of the vehicle to convey its special status to the viewers. These are not as effective, especially during the night, as the police lights that are commonly used now.
The different colors of police car lights and its flashing patterns are used to convey distinctive messages. Red is a warning light and is mandatory for most police vehicles. Red lights, especially when they are projected forward, signify that the situation is urgent. Some police vehicles use rear facing blue police lights in addition to the red and white used on top.
This is done for additional safety by conveying to the vehicles at the back about the emergency. The message that amber police car lights conveys is of a precautionary nature. Parked police vehicles sport amber lights, requesting other vehicles to keep off. The directional arrow sticks used in many police vehicles are also amber in color. These police lights flash in a specific sequence, directing other vehicles to move in different directions.
However, the silent language of police car lights varies from state to state, and needless to say, from country to country. The highway patrol of a certain state uses blue and red police lights when the vehicle is being driven, the red light when it is being parked during daytime, and blue when it is parked during the night. A person moving to a new state will have to learn the meaning of different lights, the way he has to learn a new language or accent or a culture when relocating.
Vehicle lights, other than police car lights, also communicate in their own way. If the driver of a vehicle, which is being pursued by the police, is not able to pull over immediately, he can turn on the emergency flashers. By that, he will be communicating to the police that he is not trying to escape. White is less used as police lights but is used by school buses or fuel tankers in some states to convey an emergency.
