Lightbars on chase vehicles

[Joe Nield]

The convoluted rooftop gadgetry and lightbars (could someone explain the need for a lightbar to me, please?) have always seemed a bit much for me. I'm getting a Kestrel 3000 in the mail soon and that will be the first and likely only bit of observational equipment accompanying me on this year's trip.

As far as other gadgets, I like to go by detailed paper maps. It's just what I'm used to. I like having the laptop in the car for data checking while waiting for initiation and while winding down in the hotel at night, but once we're in the thick of it, it doesn't help much unless we're near a major interstate.

 

[Tom Burgess]

Lightbars are Attention Grabbers. That was the idea behind the design. I think the main reason is safety. We use ours when parked near the highway. It is not always possiable to get far enough off the road in a blinding storm. It is required on our unit. Requires a special permit.

 

[Joe Nield]

Originally posted by David Drummond
No worries! Just giving my use for them. :wink: I agree too, I have seen some \"light machines\" on the road from time to time. Last year 3 of them blew by us going, somewhere? while we were on the side of the road filming a tornado. :lol:

The ones that get me are the ones with "SEVERE STORM SPOTTER" or "STORM CHASER" or "STAY BACK 300 FEET" or some other such malarkey plastered all over the vehicle! :lol:

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Originally posted by Joe Nield
The ones that get me are the ones with \"SEVERE STORM SPOTTER\" or \"STORM CHASER\" or \"STAY BACK 300 FEET\" or some other such malarkey plastered all over the vehicle! :lol:

Although I do not have stuff like that on my vehicle, I would say that most who do have them put them there for non-chasers. If we had to have approval from the chase community before adding stuff to vehicles then there would be a bunch of plain family sedans running around.
I do have amber LED strobes that clear when not in use. They are mounted inside the windows and not seen until I need them.

 

[Joe Nield]

Did a mod put this in a new thread? I don't remember starting this.

 

[Bill Hamilton]

Originally posted by Joe Nield
Did a mod put this in a new thread? I don't remember starting this.

If so it should have been put in "Chase Equipment".

 

[Joe Nield]

Originally posted by Bill Hamilton+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Bill Hamilton)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Joe Nield

The ones that get me are the ones with \"SEVERE STORM SPOTTER\" or \"STORM CHASER\" or \"STAY BACK 300 FEET\" or some other such malarkey plastered all over the vehicle! :lol:

Although I do not have stuff like that on my vehicle, I would say that most who do have them put them there for non-chasers. If we had to have approval from the chase community before adding stuff to vehicles then there would be a bunch of plain family sedans running around.
I do have amber LED strobes that clear when not in use. They are mounted inside the windows and not seen until I need them.[/b]

I'm not saying people need to get approval or anything, but plastering the entire vehicle with decals doesn't really serve a useful purpose. One or two isn't such a big deal.

 

[Jeff Miller]

hehe

LOL, here we go again...

Just a word of advice for newer chasers here considering lightbars...

Many local authorities and some state laws do not authorize lightbars for "chasers" per say... amber or otherwise. Most chasers who have lightbars are first responders or emergency volunteers/responders who have received permits for lightbars on their vehicles. A quick search of state and local regulations for each state will spell out which states allow and do not allow lightbars. In most cases, they will be for "emergency vehicles or utility vehicles such as tow trucks"..and even those regulations are spelled out quite carefully.

Using an amber light bar in some states where they are not allowed could yield a traffic stop and a request for permit, and a fine if you do not have one. Using red and blue universally requires special permits as well and is just about universally recognized for emergency responders.

In short, make sure you have the permit to get one and be sure, check your local regulations.

Concerning other ensignia on chase vehicles, no law against stickers that say "Storm Chaser", "Severe Storm Spotter", etc... lol, ever seen all the stickers on our hunting fellows? more power to you in that respect, hey, its your car. But with amber lights and lightbars? thats dang tricky territory.

 

[Justin Walker]

Originally posted by Joe Nield

The ones that get me are the ones with \"SEVERE STORM SPOTTER\" or \"STORM CHASER\" or \"STAY BACK 300 FEET\" or some other such malarkey plastered all over the vehicle! :lol:

I'm guilty of having a skywarn spotter sticker on my car...the reason behind the sticker is not to warn anyone...but it gives some official reasoning behind my speeding to the LAW. Cops really don't like "storm chasers" who are out there just following some official chaser. If you actually can spot, then it sets you apart from the others who are out there for just S's and G's. There's sort of a sneeky motivation behind it. Sorry! :wink:

 

[Joe Nield]

Originally posted by Justin Walker+--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Justin Walker)</div>

<!--QuoteBegin-Joe Nield

The ones that get me are the ones with \"SEVERE STORM SPOTTER\" or \"STORM CHASER\" or \"STAY BACK 300 FEET\" or some other such malarkey plastered all over the vehicle! :lol:

I'm guilty of having a skywarn spotter sticker on my car...the reason behind the sticker is not to warn anyone...but it gives some official reasoning behind my speeding to the LAW. Cops really don't like "storm chasers" who are out there just following some official chaser. If you actually can spot, then it sets you apart from the others who are out there for just S's and G's. There's sort of a sneeky motivation behind it. Sorry! :wink:[/b]

I'm not saying that's a bad thing! In fact, Skywarn stickers are probably a good idea. Identify yourself as belonging to an organized group for the purposes of maybe keeping paranoid farmers from shooting you if you stop on their road.

Again, it's the ones that have the entire vehicle plastered from top to bottom with useless decals that make me chuckle.

 

[David Drummond]

Depends on where you are chasing. I did some reseach on this one night. Seems that only a few states had strict rules regarding amber lights, and they weren't any states I would be chasing in anyway. Connecticut, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, New Jersey, Washington, Virginia. Most states have either no laws regarding amber lights, or very broad, general rules regarding them, usually allowing their use by anyone. Here is a good resource on that:

http://www.wagnersafety.com/lights/laws.html

Now red and blues, no chaser should have those, UNLESS their vehicle doubles in some other capacity that requires it, such as EM, firefighter, etc.

Interestingly, I have seen quite a few Oklahoma vehicles with wigwag headlights, including some news chase vehicles. Surprised me at first, but I am guessing this is legal in OK. I know it's illegal in TX, but I saw a vehicle with TX plates that I recognized as someone from the central TX area running wigwags when chasing in OK.

I can see a lot of stickering on media vehicles, they want to been seen out chasing/spotting by the community so viewers will know they are watching things. It's promotion. I could almost even see that on Chase Tour vehicles. They are running a business and driving around those big mobile free billboards.

Don't know what to think about the "Keep back 500 feet" one, I saw that one too.

 

[David Drummond]

Originally posted by Justin Walker

I'm guilty of having a skywarn spotter sticker on my car...the reason behind the sticker is not to warn anyone...but it gives some official reasoning behind my speeding to the LAW. Cops really don't like \"storm chasers\" who are out there just following some official chaser. If you actually can spot, then it sets you apart from the others who are out there for just S's and G's. There's sort of a sneeky motivation behind it. Sorry! :wink:

Having a SKYWARN sticker gives absolutely no "officialness" whatsoever, much less a license to break traffic laws.

 

[John Diel]

This topic looks like it's been hacked and slashed from a couple of different previous threads or has been severely modified by either author and/or Moderators. In any case, Here's my response.

I place amber lights up for more safety reasoning that anything else. Some of the raods in North Central Oklahoma tend to get a little narrow. I have also had opportunity to help with Traffic Control at accidents or other scenes where Police units were overwhelmed. Since I am also a Media Chaser, the secondary purpose is to grab attention. This gets the sation a few more listeners. They see the truck and the Station logo and they tune in. In the long run, that means an economic benefit. Yhis also has a plus when I'm in my Public Education mode. When going to schools or public events, everyone wants to know what the weather is going to be. They see the truck and start asking questions. Public Awareness is a real positive and gives me the chance to correct misconceptions and get the safety word out. Kids thinks it's "Kewl". Teachers love it as they get a short break. Third reason is another safety realted one: When I'm out spotting/chasing Law Enforcement knows we are out. I know some of the local LE and most of them know me or of me. They tend to leave me alone or stop by to find out what's going on, Another plus is a POSITIVE image being projected at least locally.

We've all heard of the "Bad" media chasers. We've all heard the stories of yokels doing really dumb stuff and we've all heard about certain chasers doing some really dumb things. It's a chance to get a "good" image out there. Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters (OAB) has a slick commercial that gets aired from time to time and this helps promote the positive image. Spotters report to Civil Authority. This is well and good. Chasers will often report to NOAA or even 911, which is, again, well and good. Media reports to the public. the folks that really need the information. This isn't always television. Farmer Brown out discking his field doesn't have a TV with him and rarely a scanner. He will have a radio with him 9 times out of 10. He gets the info he needs to make a decision to keep plowing or run for cover. He can't get that 10 miles out of town where there aren't any sirens.

How do lights help with this? It gives me an edge while I'm out. It warns people that there is "something" up ahead. They see the logo and tune in and get informed. Yeah, the lights help if used professionally and properly. Those of you who chase for the pure enjoyment of chasing? I doubt you are going to need or want a big air grabbing light bar on top of your vehicle.

As far as permits being required? Oklahoma doesn't require this for Amber Lights. Emergency Services have exlusive use of red/blue (Wreckers are included here). We can also have colored lights facing the rear. Amber and white are the only lights allowed to face forward on civilian vehicles that I'm aware of. Surrounding states? I don't think Texas has a rule on amber lights and I don't believe Kansas has specific rules against it either. This doesn't include local laws the limite or prohibit them though. Most states won't give you a hassle about lights (Amber or otherwise) if your in a state outside your own. As loong as your home state allows it and you have proof that you live in that state. As a police officer in New Hampshire, I was aloowed to have blue lights in my personal vehicle as I responded to incidents from home. When visiting Oklahoma or Kansas, I was only questioened once and there was no real issue once the ID was verified with DL and Police ID. I've never had issue with amber lights.

 

[Jeff Miller]

hmm

A check on some regulations in Oklahoma:

I did a check on this on Oklahoma, for example, and state law prohibits flashing lights EXCEPT on the following vehicles:

1. Authorized emergency vehicle
2. School bus or church bus
3. Snow removal/construction/maintenance
4. Wrecker/tow vehicle
5. Any vehicle for right or left turn indication
6. Any vehicle for means of passing or overtaking
7. Side markers which flash with turn signals
8. Farm tractors
9. Any vehicle used for official duties of mail carrying

A direct quote says that:

E. Any person violating the provisions of subsection B, C or D of this section shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment in the county jail not exceeding six (6) months, or by a fine not exceeding Two Thousand Dollars ($2,000.00), or by both such fine and imprisonment.

SOURCE: SECTION 45. AMENDATORY 47 O.S. 2001, Section 12-228, Oklahoma State Legislation

Unless I missed something, I cannot see the permission for amber lights for chasers....if I have missed something, please let me know I would appreciate that. Most other state legislations have similiar wording.

 

[David Drummond]

Re: hmm

Originally posted by Jeffrey Miller
A check on some regulations in Oklahoma:

If that's still in effect, I think it's safe to say that is one law that is going unenforced, given the LARGE amount of Oklahoma chase cars (and other states too) that I have seen chasing in OK with Amber flashing lights, which include even some of the research vehicles like the DOWS and some mobile mesonet cars.