This May, on a two-lane highway somewhere in Kansas, I saw a fuel truck coming the opposite direction that abruptly moved onto the shoulder, still moving at highway speeds. From behind him, a chaser vehicle with several 'bars' of strobing amber lights and flashing headlights zipped past. I slowed down and moved toward the shoulder as the two vehicles approached. It was clear that the tanker driver believed the chaser was an emergency vehicle.
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This exact thing happened to me two weeks ago in Utah. An "official" looking white pickup truck had his lightbar running and people were pulling over, basically, so he could speed and weave through traffic. Turns out he was just a building contractor. Very obnoxious.
Despite any benign intentions chasers or anyone else may have for lightbar use, public perception is that lightbars=official. Color doesn't seem to matter much in the general public. Out on the road, people can be startled by a blazing lightbar of any shade.
There is a public vulnerability, which, whether we want to believe it or not, exists. Lightbars, as uniforms, are a common identifying mark of an official vehicle. That perception could serve someone with bad intentions too, such as a criminal/police impersonator, to abuse the public perception and take advantage. The oldest trick in the book is to present oneself as "official", in a vehicle, or a knock at the door, to enter someone's home, and commit a spectrum of crimes.
No matter what the use, a private individual should have to file for a permit with the state for lightbar use. I might not be on the popular side of things but I think lightbars should be strictly regulated, and applied for through a permit process and I think that is completely reasonable. During operation, the inability to produce the permit to law enforcement should be grounds for a citation and fine. Using lightbars in the commission of a crime would constitute one more charge against that person.
Something has to be done about police, utility worker, or the roofing company imposter problem, and this might be a way to put some teeth into it. I'd propose that aside from those
really official, anyone else should have to apply for legitimate lightbar use. Chasers who would want to continue to use them would have no problem with this, simply because if they truly are using them for constructive reasons such as safety, it shouldn't be hard to pitch the idea and be granted the permit.
The chasers who used them to manipulate traffic should be given a hefty fine.
