Halogen Stop/Slow Paddle Outshines the Rest

Dave Morena, Safety & Traffic Operations Engineer, Michigan FHWA Division office field tested five different flashing Stop/Slow paddles for a group of federal, state, and local highway safety people. “The results were dramatic,” Morena says. In bright sunlight at 285 feet from the observers, only the paddle with halogen lights was visible. Despite their effectiveness, the halogen lighted paddles aren’t widely used, even though both Michigan DOT and Minnesota DOT have them in service. Cost may be a factor. They are priced at $325 each by Minncor Industries, a Minnesota vendor, and at $530 by DeTronics, an Ontario company.