Led Strobe Lights For Emergencies

[sushi5734]

Just wondering if anyone knows what the law is on having strobe lights on your car?

The reason I ask is I've had a couple incidents where they would have been useful and made my passengers and I safer. I'm sure we've all had times when we've been driving in torrential rain at a safe speed when a fortuner screams past you at 160, I guess aqua plaining doesn't happen hiso's!!!! Anyway would be nice be more visible in these kinds of situations as hazard lights just don't cut the mustard.

Drunk woman falls off her bike on an unlit road we almost ran over her and her bike, so we stopped to help I was a little concerned at doing this due to a few 'farang near accident must be wrong he pay' stories ive heard, but I had a pick up full of Thai's and farang witnesses and she would have been killed if we hadn't stopped. So long and short of it is we had big trucks and pick ups coming towards us and I had no way of warning them other than spinning my car round and flashing the head lights like crazy.

So I had a quick look on eBay and found a led strobe set and I've seen plenty of people on the road with strobe lights of varying types and colours.

[thaicbr]

Isnt that what the emergency flashers are for?

As for your question it is illigal to have red flashing lights (they are reserved for the police)

Amber flashing lights are for licenced operaters, rescue etc.

So any other color i suppose. Forget Blue the light range is very short eg you dont see them well until your close to them BUT then they are bloody bright (fortuner drivers seem to LOVE these)

If it was me i would still go for amber or yellow. You can buy them here in Thailand from the light pods fitted permenently to the magmount type

[JohnLeech]

Strobe lights are illegal, as are the brake hazard units fitted to many bikes (and recommended in some countries). You wouldn't think so from the number of vehicles with them, some of whom prefer them to regular headlights, but that's the position.

If you're genuine about emergency use, for example at an accident, why not get a strobe/spinning light that you can plug into the cigarette lighter and put on the roof (suction or magnet), Hawaii-5-0 (book 'em, Danno) style? Most car accessory places in Thailand stock them.

[katabeachbum]

Strobe lights are illegal, as are the brake hazard units fitted to many bikes (and recommended in some countries). You wouldn't think so from the number of vehicles with them, some of whom prefer them to regular headlights, but that's the position.

If you're genuine about emergency use, for example at an accident, why not get a strobe/spinning light that you can plug into the cigarette lighter and put on the roof (suction or magnet), Hawaii-5-0 (book 'em, Danno) style? Most car accessory places in Thailand stock them.

on homoleg vehicles, only "fog lights" are legal. "Fog lights" are used to describe high beams, spotlights and fog lights.

so the strobes are illegal.

what you probably can use, is a rotating light on magnet on roof while vehicle is not moving, but avoid red (police) color, I have an orange one. and of course hazard lights and rear/front foglights

[JohnLeech]

"rotating" - that's the word I was after!

[sushi5734]

Thanks for the replies - yep I was going to stick with either amber/yellow or white.

The flashing light doesn't really have the same significance over here so its not like your going to be able to cut down your daily commute by cutting your way through traffic, after all no one seems to move out of the way of the ambulances!

I was going to buy a set of led units that I could either screw into the parcel shelf or stick to the glass with a sucker, they are the same colour as the existing wing mirror indicators and maybe I'll be able to rig them up to the same system.

well hopefully I won't have the need to use them but it seems that pretty much every long journey I go on seems to involve some kind of insane deathwish Thai driving!!

[kartman]

As long as you only use the flashing lights or even strobes when it's raining the BIB are not going to bother you anyway.

[sushi5734]

Yep they'll be far too busy sheltering somewhere with a bottle of Leo or Johnie red label!!!

[silverhawk_usa]

In the U.S. the trend on emergency vehicles for many years was as many strobes as you could possibly affix. Some cars looked like the spaceship from E.T.

Later studies showed that people tended to fixate on the strobe lights and in some some cases unconsciously steer toward the light. In one instance a police officer was struck by a passing motorist at an accident scene. The driver later said all she could see was all the strobe lights. They have now been reverting back to oscillating or rotating lights.

[katabeachbum]

As long as you only use the flashing lights or even strobes when it's raining the BIB are not going to bother you anyway.

usually not, until someone ram you and blame it on your lightsB)

[katabeachbum]

In the U.S. the trend on emergency vehicles for many years was as many strobes as you could possibly affix. Some cars looked like the spaceship from E.T.

Later studies showed that people tended to fixate on the strobe lights and in some some cases unconsciously steer toward the light. In one instance a police officer was struck by a passing motorist at an accident scene. The driver later said all she could see was all the strobe lights. They have now been reverting back to oscillating or rotating lights.

nature of human eye and reaction, always atracted to the most lit area in front of vehicle

studies with using fog lights and high beam at same time, have proved drivers attention to objects more than 60 meters away is reduced by 30%, cause the road close to car is to bright

oscillating and rotating lights attracts attention as danger, not as a safe road to drive