Wig-Wag Headlights Illegal?
Jacob DeGlopper
John Witherspoon <JW6...@american.edu> wrote:
>
>I recently asked a Maryland state trooper why county or state police cars
>in MD didn't have wig-wag headlights -- he said it was because they were
>illegal in MD for police cars. I checked the MD vehicle code, and he's
>right -- police cars in MD are only allowed to display red and blue flashing
Montgomery County police cars have and use wig-wag headlights.
--
Jacob DeGlopper, EMT-A, N3RHI
ja...@mayhem.com
Michael Watson - T+E
> good attention-getters and since they are so cheap to install relative
> to strobes, dash lights, or light bars.
It does seem dense, to say the least. I'm a Maryland resident, and can't
understand why something so effective should be unobtainable...legally,
anyway, since I do know of emergency vehicles (which shall remain
nameless) which have wig-wags.
G. RALPH GORRELL
the rest of the state.
My thgoughts only.
Chip Seymour
>> wig-wags are such good attention-getters
> unobtainable...legally,
In Massachusetts, wig-wags are legal on emergency apparatus,
but illegal on personal vehicles. There's a push to make them
legal, and many local cops won't issue a citation for them,
but there's been an uproar lately over people stopping for
wig-wags thinking it's the Police, and being assaulted.
chip
Daniel Misgen
stops. I Know that the department that I interned with will not allow officers
to pursi
purse or pull over people in their unmarked squads.
Shawn C. Robak
> Actually the cheap and easy to install can be a disadvantage. The
> bad guys can also do it easily and more and more of them are
> impersonating the law to commit crimes. We had a case here where a
> midwife was murdered on her way home after a delivery (about 2 AM).
> It isn't confirmed as far as I know but the belief was that the
> slimeball who did it used this to get her to stop.
All the more reason not to stop for unmarked cars.
Stop only for red and blue full bars on top of the car.
I wont stop for anything less.
Have gotten bitched out a few times as a result.
Once I see a 2nd car pull up with lights tho, I usually stop.
---
|\ _,,,--,,_ ,) Shawn C. Robak - NCS Systems Inc.
/,`.-'`' -, ;-;;' ----------------------------------------------
|,4- ) )-,_ ) /\ roba...@acm.msu.edu
'---''(_/--' (_/-' kawa...@lopez.marquette.mi.us
What do you mean, sro...@chop.isca.uiowa.edu
"Formatted the cat"?!?!? kawa...@nebula.org kawa...@armory.com
2192...@msu.edu
(517)228-2921 (page) (517)351-2024 (home)
http://acm.msu.edu/~robaksha
Hal Lillywhite
> good attention-getters and since they are so cheap to install relative
> to strobes, dash lights, or light bars.
Actually the cheap and easy to install can be a disadvantage. The
David Fuller
herspoon) writes:
:>
:>
----- SNIP -----
:>Anybody know of other states where police can't have wig-wags for this
:>or similar reasons? The whole thing seems stupid since wig-wags are such
:>good attention-getters and since they are so cheap to install relative
:>to strobes, dash lights, or light bars.
In Connecticut it is illegal for ambulances to have them. I believe that it
is legal for police cars and fire apparatus. I know that most of them do
have wig-wags.
Dave Fuller, EMT-P
Brian Humphrey
...you know what is amazing about this newsgroup?
Folks seem to fall all -over- each other to reply to notes about "light
bars" and "green dash lights" or "wig-wag headlights" ...but all too
often there is never a reply to technical or philosophical questions that
will profoundly effect our professions.
Not a condemnation - just an observation.
Brian Humphrey
Brandon Guest
Several PDs in the Twin Cities (I know of a few for sure I expect a lot more) no
longer
allow unmarked squads to effect traffic stops. The general rule of thumb seems
to be if
you think you are being pulled over by an unmarked proceed to the nearest PD or
'public'
place before you actually stop. I expect in the situation of a 'real stop' this
would be
defensible activity before a judge.
Brandon
Chief, Hamel Vol. Fire Dept.
--
H. Brandon Guest | bgu...@empros.com
Empros Power Systems Control | Siemens Energy and Automation, Inc.
7225 Northland Drive | Voice (612) 536-4529
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428-1540 | Fax (612) 536-4359
ceprn
through grill mounted strobes. Having driven many times at night with
wig-wags I know the changing lights can effect your field of vision. Do
away with wig-wags and use headlights for what they are intended - to see
at night - and use strobes or flashing lights for what they are intended
- to be seen by others. simple enough solution.
ceprn
ceprn
John Witherspoon <JW6...@american.edu> wrote:
: In article <4creh4$5...@nnrp1.news.primenet.com>
: ceprn <ce...@primenet.com> writes:
:
: >
: >From a logical perspective, the effect of wig-wags can be achieved
: Simple, until you start adding up the cost -- $50 in parts for wig-wag
: headlights, close to $300 for bumper-mounted strobes, including lights
: and power supply.
:
What's your point? If you are a government or for profit organization you
can certainly afford the cost of the right equipment. If you are volly,
you can spend the amount needed or do without. Seems simple enough.
ceprn
Chip Seymour
>> We had a case here where a midwife was murdered ...
>> It isn't confirmed as far as I know but the belief was that the
>> slimeball who did it used this to get her to stop.
>Stop only for red and blue full bars on top of the car.
Given the number of incidents involving police impersonation, the
Massachusetts State Police are advising motorists
1) to stop for flashing lights only in well-lit areas if possible
2) if you have a cell phone, call *SP to verify the stop
3) to lock your doors and crack the window instead of rolling it down
4) if the officer isn't in full uniform, leave immediately and proceed
to a local police station or other populated area.
Only a local hothead wouldn't understand that reasoning.
chip
robert amick
of an emergency vehicle in DAYLIGHT. You are competing with 400,000 candelas of
sunlight with your emergency vehicle warning lights, so the brighter the source, the
better off your are WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING. Colored filters on both strobes and
incandescent lights considerably reduce the luminance/lumen ouput of the light
source, so anything you can do to increase luminance in daylight is good. HOWEVER,
at night, the story is different. There is far less need for wig-wag headlights,
and in fact, as was noted in the posting, they should be used for driving only.
Auxiliary flashing lights in the grill, overhead strobes, etc., are usually more
than sufficient to identify the vehicle as an emergency vehicle at night. Adverse
whether further complicates the matter due to absorption of the luminance by
precipitation. Again, in such cases, color is far less important that luminous
intensity. A 100,000 candlepower xenon strobe with no colored filter will be far
more visible than one with a red filter which is only emitting 20,000 candlepower or
less. This research was clearly demonstrated by the Minnesota Highway Department
study on effective emergency lighting for snowplows in extreme weather conditions.
Emergency Vehicles should be configured to have a DAY response mode, using
everything you can turn on, and a NIGHT response mode which is more conservative.
Remember that human neurophysiology of vision is very adaptable to ambient lighting
conditions, and when there is an absence of the strong light source provided by
sunlight, less is BETTER. As far as colors, go, considerable research has indicated
that blue works best at night because it contrasts against the normal colors seen in
traffic of red and white. Conversely, in daylight, RED works better because it
contrasts against the normally high concentration of sunlight which is very rich in
blue light. In any case the RED has to be VERY HIGH INTENSITY to effect a good
contrast. Otherwise, the yellow/green light of a tungsten halogen lamp source, or
the more spectrally balanced output of a xenon strobe WIHTOUT FILTERS is a good
choice in SUNLIGHT. Using red filters on xenon strobes is the least efficient way
to go, because xenon has very little red spectral output, and a lot of yellow,
green, blue and violet. Conversely, tungsten halogen, has a lot of red, yellow, some
green, very little blue and violet.
The National Institute for Standards and Technology, Department of Commerce, USA has
several well written documents on the efficacy of emergency vehicle warning lamp and
siren systems, detailing human neurophysiological responses to lighting and sound,
and recommending the most desirable approach to warning light systems. It is well
worth getting a copy from the government printing office to read. The real problem
is getting a nationa/international standard that is common to all countries so that
responses are based on standardized warning lamp systems instead of the "crazy
quilt" of regulations and configurations adopted by each state in the U.S. and many
international countries. Comments?
Bob Amick, Police Communications Supervisor
University of Colorado at Boulder
Shawn C. Robak
> Then, you can always
> go to Michigan, where tow trucks are allowed to have all red light
> bars, as opposed to all amber like most everywhere else...
Actually... MI wreckers are required to have amber, but red is allowed as in
addition.
---
Shawn C. Robak | Out the ethercard, down the coax, through the
Michigan State University | router, across the FDDI, through another router
roba...@acm.msu.edu | jammin down our T3 - Nothin but 'Net
http://acm.msu.edu/~robaksha | kawa...@deepthought.armory.com (517)351-2024
George Cottay
Amick <am...@spot.colorado.edu> wrote? I'm saving it as NEWRIG.TXT for
the next time we buy new equipment.
Keith Wood
JW6...@american.edu (John Witherspoon) wrote:
[Anybody know of other states where police can't have wig-wags for this
[or similar reasons? The whole thing seems stupid since wig-wags are such
[good attention-getters and since they are so cheap to install relative
[to strobes, dash lights, or light bars.
Last time I looked, the California VC permitted wig-wags only during daylight.
--
===============================================================
Keith Wood TV-18 News anchor
Host/Producer, The Computer Program, FLYING TIME!, and Infinity Focus.
Gunsite (Orange) alumnus, Team OS/2, Parrothead, N7JUZ, AZ0237 but not a
number (I'm a FREE MAN!), creator of FIRE TEAM and HERO SEEKER
===============================================================
xopher
<am...@spot.colorado.edu>:
>Emergency Vehicles should be configured to have a DAY response mode, using
>everything you can turn on, and a NIGHT response mode which is more conservative.
>Remember that human neurophysiology of vision is very adaptable to ambient lighting
>conditions, and when there is an absence of the strong light source provided by
>sunlight, less is BETTER.
Too much emergency lighting makes turn signals & brake lights harder
to see at night.
--
This station is conducting a test of the email broadcast system.
This is only a test.
Robert A. Morgan, Sr.
>
>I recently asked a Maryland state trooper why county or state police cars
>in MD didn't have wig-wag headlights -- he said it was because they were
>illegal in MD for police cars. I checked the MD vehicle code, and he's
>right -- police cars in MD are only allowed to display red and blue flashing
>lights, and fire units can only display red and white lights -- a lot of
>fire trucks in the state do have wig-wag headlights.
>
>Anybody know of other states where police can't have wig-wags for this
>or similar reasons? The whole thing seems stupid since wig-wags are such
>good attention-getters and since they are so cheap to install relative
>to strobes, dash lights, or light bars.
>
In New Jersey, Wig-Wags are illegal. According to NJ Title 39:3-47 it
states that no person shall alter the performance of any light in a
way that it was intended. Wig Wags are an add-ons, therefore illegal
by this standard. It does state in 39:3-50d that special permits for
flashing lights can be issued, so it would seem that a permit would
have to be issued. I know many NJ fire, squad and police that are
using wig-wags. But remember use by many does not makew them legal. As
I look through the section of title 39 that covers emergency lights,
it never mentions flashing headlights as being permissable.
Bob Morgan, EMT-P
dood...@fast.net
Donald Root
>
>
>Last time I looked, the California VC permitted wig-wags only during
daylight.
>
restrictions on wig-wag headlights was removed a number of years ago.
The other place to check for California "Code-3" vehicle requirements
is Title 13 of the California Code of Regulations (was the California
Administrative Code). (Is YOUR siren speaker legally mounted?)
Donald Root
Asst. Chief, Telecommunications Branch
CA Governor's Office of Emergency Services
d...@oes.ca.gov
CTEMT
believe that it
>is legal for police cars and fire apparatus. I know that most of them do
>have wig-wags.
>
>
>Dave Fuller, EMT-P
I am not sure about the exact wording of the law but we were able to get
around this problem in our town (Vernon, CT) when we merged with the FD.
Because we became the 11th company of the FD, we were somehow considered
fire appratus Our new rig, which is lettered "Town of Vernon Fire
Department", passed state inspection with the wig wags installed
I have also heard that the main reason why wig wags were made illegal for
ambulances is due to the traditional head light set up for ambulances vs
the PD's cruisers. For example, most cruisers that I have seen have 2
sets of headlights, therefore one set of lights can stay on while the
other "wig wags". For ambulances, this was not possible as most rigs only
have one set of headlights. In addition, by having a second set of
headlights the cruisers high beams could be used. while the other set is
still in wig wag mode. When wig wags were first introduced, (from what I
have been told) a high - beam overide was not available. Our wig - wags
have an overide that automatically kills the wig wag feature when the high
beams are activated. As I said I do not know how the CT state law is and
I am not 100% sure that our consolidation with the FD made a difference
but so far we have been able to use them without a problem.
Lets be careful out there
Kevin Dalton
ct...@aol.com
EMT-D
Town of Vernon (CT) Volunteer Fire Department
Ambulance Company
**************************************************************************
*********
The above opinions are mine alone and do not in any way represent the
opinions of the T.V.V.F.D.
"She's hot and smokey, but she's not quite rolling yet"
.............Backdraft
TVFD Ambulance Company - Winner - Best Medical Unit - 1995 Ellington Fire
Department Parade
**************************************************************************
**********
Shawn C. Robak
> For example, most cruisers that I have seen have 2
> sets of headlights, therefore one set of lights can stay on while the
> other "wig wags". For ambulances, this was not possible as most rigs only
> have one set of headlights. In addition, by having a second set of
> headlights the cruisers high beams could be used. while the other set is
> still in wig wag mode.
This is not entirely true. If the wigwags are set on the low beams, and the
cruiser is using them at night then what does he have to drive with? High
beams. Now I dont know if you have seen the highbeams on a caprice or crown
vicci lately, but they are BRIGHT!!!!!
Hell the low beams are bright as it is :)
Not too safe.
You will see that most cruisers have their wigwags on the high beams as the
intermittent and they do not get up to full power when switched between bulbs -
it is not as blinding to other drivers on the road, but are still plenty
bright.
---
Shawn C. Robak | Out the 10BaseT, down the coax, through the
Larry Girard
>Too much emergency lighting makes turn signals & brake lights harder
>to see at night.
eliminatining a l l possibility of color recognition.
I was 'around' when wigwags made their debut. The original circuit called
for an override so the highbeams could be used as intended at night, but
when the driver went to lows, the wigwags took off. As already noted, the
changing light source is confusing, a point the originators of the
concept also made.
==========================================================================
Standard Disclaimer: My thoughts are my own. Affiliations listed as
background so you might understand why I think like I do...
_________
Larry Girard \ _ / Delphi - lagi...@delphi.com
'Tree' |\//\|S|/\\/| MILNET - gir...@drum-emh1.army.mil
Firefighter/AEMT-CC |F > S < D|
Depauville VFD |/\\/|_|\//\| Anthem for Action:
Jefferson County, NY /_______\ If it is to be, it is up to me.
===========================================================================