Published on Wednesday, August 10, 2005
in the Osceola News Gazette

FHP cruisers to get red lights

Central Florida motorists will soon be seeing red if they’re pulled over by the Florida Highway Patrol.

For the first time in more than 50 years and for better visibility, the patrol is adding red to the current blue and white light bars on cruisers.

In addition the patrol is also changing its siren frequency to better warn drivers that a cruiser is approaching.

Patrol officials said the red lights would better stand out when troopers make traffic stops or help a disabled motorist on the side of the road.

“It really will help everybody in that environment,” said Patrol Lt. James Wells in Tallahassee who conducted a study on the change.

According to the study, twice the amount of blue light energy is needed during the daytime to be as bright as the red color. Red is also better seen than blue in haze, smoke or fog.

Unlike normal light bulbs, the patrol is installing light emitting diodes which, Wells said, he expects to become the predominant light source of the future in law enforcement. The lamps run cooler and draw less electricity from the car than other sources for the same amount of light output. They also have a longer life.

At night, the cruisers will still flash blue because only about one-third the intensity of a blue light is needed to match the brightness of a red light, Wells said.

Several years ago, state legislators passed the Move Over law with FHP’s backing. It mandated that drivers move over one lane on two lane highways or greater when a trooper was stopped along the side of the road. The red lights would be another safety tool, said Trooper Kim Miller, spokeswoman for Troop D, which patrols six Central Florida counties including Osceola.

“Someone will be less likely to crash into us,” she said.

While also examining the audible alerts, it was determined that the patrol’s siren frequency doesn’t penetrate modern vehicles well because they’re better sealed and insulated than they were 10 years ago, Wells said.

A lower frequency penetrates solid objects better, Wells said. He compared it to the low frequency “boom box” car stereos where drivers can hear the bass long before the vehicle pulls up next to them.

And a lower frequency would not be as “directional” as higher frequencies, Wells said. The current patrol vehicle siren emits sound in a forward direction. A lower frequency would be able to be heard in all directions, Wells said.

“It is difficult for persons to see the patrol car when you are approaching an intersection because you may be blocked by buildings or other vehicles,” Wells said in the study. “The siren may be the only warning they can perceive.”

It will take about five years to upgrade all of the fleet’s 1,736 patrol cars, Wells said.