Idaho State Police change light patterns for safer roads
IDAHO FALLS, Idaho (KIFI) - Idaho drivers may be familiar with the flashing red and blue lights.
But, the familiar pattern will soon be a thing of the past as Idaho State Troopers are changing the light patterns on their patrol cars.
Their goal is to help drivers get a better sense of knowing when it's time to pull over, move over, or slow down with better visibility of patrol cars.
All Idaho state police officers are adopting white and blue lights after new research found that drivers may respond better to the pattern.
"So a lot of lights in the past, they're just super bright and would flash randomly. There's no real pattern and that can be confusing to people that are out passing the police car," said Corporal Brandon Olson of Idaho State Police.
The new light patterns are considered to be a moderate speed vs. the original fast light pattern. Despite the change, it goes without saying that if an ISP patrol car approaches you with lights flashing drivers need to slow down and move over.
"The faster lights and the brighter lights they can cause confusion, especially as you're driving down a city street. There's a police car on the side of the road with that bright light in your face. It kind of makes it hard to see the road and hard to see people outside of the cars," said Corporal Olson.
Not all law enforcement agencies are making this switch, so, if you see the red and blue you should still move over. For a more detailed explanation of what each patrol car pattern indicates, watch the Local News 8 video report included above.
