Special Flashing Warning Lights for Construction, Maintenance, and Service Vehicles: Are Amber Beacons Always Enough?

The Texas Department of Transportation has begun allowing certain types of vehicles (those generally used in the above higher-risk activities) to display both an amber and a blue flashing warning light. This has caused some concern within the state law enforcement community that such practices degrade the effectiveness of the blue light for authorized emergency vehicle applications. TxDOT contacted with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) to investigate the special-vehicle warning light issue. This paper presents a summary of some of the results of that research.