Do drunk people get hypnotized by flashers?

[flyerdan]

At the very least there should be a day/night mode, especially for when stationary. In the mean time I guess we just have to hold up our right hand to block the direct light source so it's not like driving by a couple of tig welders.

 

[k0ua]

At the very least there should be a day/night mode, especially for when stationary. In the mean time I guess we just have to hold up our right hand to block the direct light source so it's not like driving by a couple of tig welders.

Now, that day/night mode is a good idea... I hadn't thought of that.. Just bring your TIG helmet next time..:laughing:

 

[SARG]

At the very least there should be a day/night mode, especially for when stationary. In the mean time I guess we just have to hold up our right hand to block the direct light source so it's not like driving by a couple of tig welders.

The LED lightbars do have a high & low feature. The "blue" wire needs to be energized through a switch & seems like 99% of the departments don't bother to get them wired correctly.

 

[Threepoint]

There was a study years ago about the flashing lights causing a moth effect, and was found to be true.[snip]

It has something to do with the psychological effects of the blue and red flashing lights that causes a sub conscience effect leading to turning the steering wheel toward the lights.

These findings about blue and red lights in particular are very interesting to me. Would amber be much different? Both my loader tractors have the standard flashing amber incandescent warning lights, fore and aft, that don't strobe. My cab tractor has an additional amber LED strobe that I've added up high to make me even more visible when I'm working snow or stone at the head of the driveway at the main road. All of these lights together are nowhere near as distracting as the strobing blue, red and white LED light bars on the police cruisers. But it still makes me wonder as the traffic speeds by at 40+ mph. What do others think? Also, what about leaving my 45w LED flood lights on, fore and aft, while working near the road? So far, I usually switch them off out of concern that they might hinder the night vision of oncoming drivers when I'm turning the tractor.

 

[RandyT]

the DOT started using the strobe rear amber flashers on the snow plow trucks a few years ago, and about that time the number of rear end collisions with snow plows increased. Or at least here is IL.

 

[k0ua]

The LED lightbars do have a high & low feature. The "blue" wire needs to be energized through a switch & seems like 99% of the departments don't bother to get them wired correctly.

Ah-ha!.. Now we know... Departments think.. brighter is always better.

 

[Bird]

Of course it was long before I even heard of LED lights, but one of the studies done and published was to try to determine the best colors (blue or red) for emergency vehicles to get the attention of other traffic and to be the most visible and recognizable. Their conclusion was that it made no difference whether you used red or blue to the front of the vehicle, but worked best if alternating with white. AND they concluded that the best color to prevent being hit from the rear was amber.

And of course that was so long ago that there may have been newer studies with different conclusions.

 

[SARG]

And now around our state the lightbars have blue and amber in the rear.
And when the bars are turned full on .... the white alley lights and take downs flash as well.

 

[Beltzington]

No - They just think the road house is advertising happy hour.

As I recall the driving test I had to take about 30+ years ago wasn't that rigorous but we would rather complain than raise the standards. Concerning drunk drivers, I would rather be on the road with a drunk than all these idiots who are texting, at least the drunk is trying to pay attention.

If you get bored on a road trip have some fun with dolts on the road behind you, 7 out of 10 will follow you off the side of the travel lane before they realize what is going on, visual fixation.

 

[bellweather]

You tend to drive towards what you are looking at. Motorcycle safety courses stress that fact. For example, if you focus on the crack in the pavement you are more likely to drive towards it. Instead, try to focus on the clear path, where you want to go, not what you want to avoid.

 

[Sodo]

Ah-ha!.. Now we know... Departments think.. brighter is always better.

The bright lights thing has gone too far, without proper forethought. When emergency lights are blinding, everything around them is in danger. And now (as we know) even the owner of the safety lights. If there are emergency lights on the left, and a baby stroller on the right (all driver attention diverted to the emergency lights) the baby stroller is in grave danger.

I live on a street that is perfect for bicycle commuters. In our state apparently its legal for bicycles to use emergency strobes facing oncoming traffic. Every evening several bicycles with emergency blast me on the left rendering pedestrians on the right, invisible. It's not fair because I am the one responsible for the safety of the pedestrians (or other bicycles) on the right. Those guys blinding oncoming traffic need to be held accountable.

It's not fair to commandeer such a large portion of a driver's available attention to one person's safety (their own).

 

[Danno1]

.



Some of you guys have hit the nail on the head. It's called "Target Fixation". It has to do with the way the human brain works. Unrelated to alcohol.

It has been ID'd as a major contributor to single vehicle motorcycle accidents. Yes, even sober. And should be studied for cage accidents, but I'm not sure if it has.



I personally witnessed this on a white water canoe trip. We were in PERFECTLY flat water in between rapids. Wide river. One single rock in the dead center. No prob for anyone to avoid. But one paddler went square on into the rock. Spent something like 45 minutes extracting the boat and paddle. The person was OK though.



When I try to teach people how to drive, I say "look for the holes (in traffic), not for the cars". I'll guess that more than 50% don't understand that concept. Much more than...



.

 

[k0ua]

.



Some of you guys have hit the nail on the head. It's called "Target Fixation". It has to do with the way the human brain works. Unrelated to alcohol.

It has been ID'd as a major contributor to single vehicle motorcycle accidents. Yes, even sober. And should be studied for cage accidents, but I'm not sure if it has.



I personally witnessed this on a white water canoe trip. We were in PERFECTLY flat water in between rapids. Wide river. One single rock in the dead center. No prob for anyone to avoid. But one paddler went square on into the rock. Spent something like 45 minutes extracting the boat and paddle. The person was OK though.



When I try to teach people how to drive, I say "look for the holes (in traffic), not for the cars". I'll guess that more than 50% don't understand that concept. Much more than...



.

Even though everyone does it to some extent, intoxicated or not, I think the drunks don't know they are doing it and sail into the stopped emergency vehicle. More of the sober folks realize they are fixating and correct their path to miss the stopped vehicle. Intoxicated people are not know for making quick life saving decisions. I don't know if there is any fix for this or not, but I have noticed that the lights just keep getting brighter and brighter, to the point that I have to turn my head when going by them and look into the other lane to keep from being momentarily blinded. It is much worse than in past decades.