Have you seen red flashing police lights while you are out on the road? What about blue police lights? Chances are you may have noticed that these are two popular colors for emergency vehicle lights on police cars.
In this article, we will discuss the differences in these light colors.
Exploring Police Lights and Their Color Schemes
To understand the difference between red and blue police lights, let’s take a look at the patterns and colors of police lights.
What Color Are Police Lights?
The most popular police light colors are red, blue, and white. Depending on the state, you may find that police lights involve varying combinations of these colors or may just use one or two. Red lights and blue lights are also very commonly used by other types of emergency vehicles, like ambulances and firetrucks.
Some states have created separate light patterns for the different kinds of emergency vehicles to help locals tell them apart. For this reason, it is generally not legal to have lights on your car that mimic the appearance of the local emergency vehicle lights.
Can Police Lights Be Blue or Red?
Police lights come in different color combinations based on location. While some states use the popular combination of three lights–blue, white, and red–other police vehicles exclusively use one or the other. In almost every case, police lights will include blue or red in their patterns. Some vehicles stick with one color. Of course, it is commonly agreed that a more complex pattern stands out a lot more on the road.
The Impacts of Red Police Lights
Red is, without question, the most popular color you will see in emergency lights. The primary reason for its popularity? Awareness.
Red is an eye-catching color, whether you see it during the day or at night. When something is flashing red, it is impossible to miss–and it can really create a sense of urgency. Flashing red lights often encourage people to pay attention and remain alert.
The Impacts of Blue Police Lights
It is true that red lights stand out and can create that much-needed sense of urgency that emergency vehicles strive for. However, the fact remains that they do not always stand out, especially in traffic. Anyone who has sat in traffic knows that it often comes with a wall of red lights blinking off and on.
Blue lights are a perfect way to help police lights stand out from standard lights on the road, as well as other emergency vehicle lights. Since blue lights are not a typical feature of cars, blue lights do a great job of standing out when they need to. It helps to have another color that is easy to see from a distance, especially across a wide range of backgrounds.
Find the Best Emergency Vehicle Lights to Meet Your Needs
Police lights are just one type of emergency vehicle lights–and many of us need our own flashing lights for our vehicles. If you are looking to invest in emergency vehicle lights for your car, Ultra Bright Lightz is here to help. We offer flashing lights in a wide range of colors to help you stay visible while adhering to local laws too.
Explore our collections today!