The application of light emitting diodes (LED) for emergency warning lights has now proliferated to nearly all first responder agencies in the United States. LEDs have demonstrated significant advanta..
The application of light emitting diodes (LED) for emergency warning lights has now proliferated to nearly all first responder agencies in the United States. LEDs have demonstrated significant advantages over traditional emergency lighting in many aspects. However, what is less understood is the impact of LED’s on nighttime driver visibility and their contribution toward struck-by vehicle crashes. The proposed study investigates the impact of warning light intensity and color on drivers’ behavior, specifically focusing on the moth-to-flame effect. This study will first identify factors that increase the occurrence of emergency responder struck-by crashes. This will be accomplished by accumulating quantitative data from the Florida Department of Transportation Signal-4 Analytics software that can be used to determine the lighting and other roadside situations, which could influence the occurrence of struck-by collisions. This data will be used to develop predictive crash frequency models to analyze and forecast struck-by crashes. Then, working concurrently with a student research team at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Embry-Riddle students will pilot a prototype emergency lighting system in full-scale demonstrations to emergency response personnel and stakeholders to address the deficiencies identified following the completion of the first task. As part of this collaboration, RPI has agreed to conduct the human factors analysis of a lighting system and provide a lighting prototype for the stakeholder demonstrations. The results are expected to show a pattern or highlight common issues toward identifying the factors leading to struck-by vehicle crashes. The project is also anticipated to find lighting conditions that are optimal for both emergency responders and drivers. The developed prototype lighting can be implemented by practitioners in an effort to prevent on-duty injuries and fatalities of emergency responders working on or near the roadway. The team has received IRB approval and is currently in the process of testing the lights.