Lighted Paddle Increases Flagger Safety

At temporary work zones on roads in New Mexico, flaggers are the front line of defense, helping to protect the safety of maintenance workers and travelers by alerting motorists of the need to stop or slow down. But motorists can fail to notice the flagger, creating the possibility of injuries at the work site.
To help its flaggers get drivers’ attention, the New Mexico State Highway and Transportation Department decided to test the flashing stop/slow paddle, a device developed under the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP). Similar to paddles commonly used by flaggers at work zones, the flashing stop/slow paddle has high-intensity lamps mounted on the “stop” side of the paddle. When the flagger presses a button on the handle, the lights flash quickly in a short sequence.