[quote name='maximsnorkel27' post='162435' date='Nov 11 2007, 06:34 ']As a police officer with 24 years on the road, I can tell you that the only color lights most of the clueless motorists in this state (MA) even acknowledge are blue lights because when they see blue, they think traffic ticket, which means $$ and a surcharge, and they slow down (and even that is seldom... they're too busy doing their makeup, adjusting their iPod, drinking their Bud Lite, etc.).
It is still on MA General laws that state DPW trucks (now under the MassHighway moniker) may show blue to the rear (though most don't). I'll never forget coming up on an Elgin Pelican street sweeper on Rte. 128 in Lynn with blue strobes on it ..... traffic was slowed to a crawl because they thought it was a cruiser, but that left-hand breakdown lane was spanking clean!
In MA, most apparatus and ambulances show at least one blue to the rear these days. If it makes the motorists think twice if it is a cruiser, it just might make them slow down and let our FF's and EMT's have a little more margin of safety (although I once had the trunk of my cruiser pushed into the back seat in broad daylight at an accident scene with over 400 yards of unobstructed view of my cruiser with it's full lightbar lit, a 200 foot long flare pattern on the shoulder of the road by a moron who admitted she saw all of the warning signals, knew the road was icy, but was late for work)[/quote]
I am sorry I should have specified more on the lighting package. In MA if you order a Fire Engine, Ladder Truck, Rescue, etc. the rear of the apparatus shall have 1 Amber and 1 Blue Light, minium. In MA also ALL new apparatus has to have the forward white flasher on the top lightbar disengaged once parked. Alos and this is not enforced that well, wig wags, will not be used at night or flashing onced the apparatus is parked. Most NEW apparatus has these features built in once the apparatus is in drive, white lights, wig wags, etc. and once parked and out in park or neutral the white lights stop flashing.
It is still on MA General laws that state DPW trucks (now under the MassHighway moniker) may show blue to the rear (though most don't). I'll never forget coming up on an Elgin Pelican street sweeper on Rte. 128 in Lynn with blue strobes on it ..... traffic was slowed to a crawl because they thought it was a cruiser, but that left-hand breakdown lane was spanking clean!
In MA, most apparatus and ambulances show at least one blue to the rear these days. If it makes the motorists think twice if it is a cruiser, it just might make them slow down and let our FF's and EMT's have a little more margin of safety (although I once had the trunk of my cruiser pushed into the back seat in broad daylight at an accident scene with over 400 yards of unobstructed view of my cruiser with it's full lightbar lit, a 200 foot long flare pattern on the shoulder of the road by a moron who admitted she saw all of the warning signals, knew the road was icy, but was late for work)[/quote]
I am sorry I should have specified more on the lighting package. In MA if you order a Fire Engine, Ladder Truck, Rescue, etc. the rear of the apparatus shall have 1 Amber and 1 Blue Light, minium. In MA also ALL new apparatus has to have the forward white flasher on the top lightbar disengaged once parked. Alos and this is not enforced that well, wig wags, will not be used at night or flashing onced the apparatus is parked. Most NEW apparatus has these features built in once the apparatus is in drive, white lights, wig wags, etc. and once parked and out in park or neutral the white lights stop flashing.
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