School buses causing accidents?

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Some one came up with the idea of a white strobe light in the "BACK" of a school bus. There is no "independent" proof that the strobe lights toward the "rear" of a school bus increases safety. I suspect school bus accidents in Maryland either held steady or increased. The theory is that the WHITE strobe will make the bus seen easier in fog. Apparently no one thought of orange or yellow lights which have better visibility in fog. Plus, a yellow or orange light would be more safe at the back of a bus than a blinding strobe.

To compound the problem, school buses are now being outfitted with an even brighter strobe. Most of the buses already have the new brighter strobes in place. I challenge anyone to show me CONCLUSIVE data NOT written by the companies that make the strobes that can demonstrate it increases safety.

Locally, I have personally observed the first vehicle in line behind the school buses follow even closer now. This is because they have to get closer to get inside the view of the strobe so the vehicle directly behind the bus is not blinded by the strobe. However, when the vehicle is closer, it decreases safety in the event the school bus had to stop suddenly. However, the claim that the frequency of the strobes can cause elliptic seizures has not been proven.
 

officeguy

Well-Known Member
Orange/Amber would indicate a slow moving or stationary vehicle which school buses often enough are not.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
I don't like them as I think in the dark they reduce your night vision because they are so bright.

I don't think a flashing amber light would not indicate a slow moving vehicle as flashing amber is for tow, escort, and security vehicles.

You don't see escort vehicles too much in southern Maryland but you do on real interstates.
 

Goldenhawk

Well-Known Member
Yes, they're annoying, but a simple strobe light is not a seizure trigger. "Photosensitive epilepsy seizures" are typically caused by rapid flickering across a large field of a person's view, not a slow one-per-second flash of a point source light.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-flashing-images-cause-seizures-180961504/

In fact, the rapidly-flashing blue and red lights on a police car are exactly the kind of flashing that CAN cause seizures (blue and red lights have been directly implicated in previous research). If you want to joust at a windmill, try taking THAT on instead.
 

black dog

Free America
I don't like them as I think in the dark they reduce your night vision because they are so bright.

I don't think a flashing amber light would not indicate a slow moving vehicle as flashing amber is for tow, escort, and security vehicles.

You don't see escort vehicles too much in southern Maryland but you do on real interstates.

It's interesting that both of my tractors ( 30 & 75 Hp ) have Amber rear lights. I have the option of either solid or flashing Amber. The larger tractor also has separate red running / brake lights.
 

Tech

Well-Known Member
If I remember, the white strobe were implemented after a school bus accident on the eastern shore during an early morning fog. The bus made a left turn in front of a truck, so in their wisdom the state installed lights on the buses instead of trucks, buses still can't see the trucks coming.
 

black dog

Free America
I guess that falls into the other highway maintenance and service equipment category? What do you do with your tractors?

https://govt.westlaw.com/mdc/Docume...ype=CategoryPageItem&contextData=(sc.Default)

Like most other farm tractors they till, plant & plow fields, mow hedge rows, mow property that boarders county and a state Rd. Travel on said roads to different fields on my property and others if needed. Flashing Amber and that slow moving Triangle on the back tells motorist " slow mover up ahead "
Flashing Amber can mean many different things, it can mean obstacles n the roadway and slow moving vehicles to tow trucks during towing to the top of police cars telling motorist to move left or right because of a accident or traffic stop.
 

PeoplesElbow

Well-Known Member
My whole point was there is no reason the bus strobe can't be amber, after finding that other states do use amber that solidifies my opinion on that.

The white just hurts my eyes.
 

LightRoasted

If I may ...
If I may ...

Extremely annoying those white blinding strobes. It's a huge honking bright school bus-yellow bus anyway. How can they be missed? How did we manage for decades prior without these strobes? Always thought of using a BB gun to target practice on those strobes when they are parked [empty of people] at the end of the day. That would be fun.
 
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3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
And actually I forgot to say that "displaying WHITE light to the rear of a motor vehicle is ILLEGAL". For example, you or I can not travel down Route 235 with a bright white light to the rear of our vehicle. We would get a ticket. You will notice the manufacturers of the white strobes pushed this down our throats and passed in to law. I have no doubt in my mind money was exchanged over this in Annapolis. More than likely, big money until this insane law passed. Even other vehicles besides school buses have it. I suspect our good ole legislators have provided an exception for school buses when it is in the name of SAFETY when it actually serves to do the opposite. I will have to check to see if an exception is written in to the law. Right now, I don't know. Some one has mentioned orange/yellow lights are for slow moving. I agree. However, there is no reason this law can't be updated/changed. Strobes of an orange or yellow can be tolerated far better than a bright white strobe in your eyes doing 60 mph behind a bus!!
 

3CATSAILOR

Well-Known Member
Yes, they're annoying, but a simple strobe light is not a seizure trigger. "Photosensitive epilepsy seizures" are typically caused by rapid flickering across a large field of a person's view, not a slow one-per-second flash of a point source light.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosensitive_epilepsy
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-do-flashing-images-cause-seizures-180961504/

In fact, the rapidly-flashing blue and red lights on a police car are exactly the kind of flashing that CAN cause seizures (blue and red lights have been directly implicated in previous research). If you want to joust at a windmill, try taking THAT on instead.

Is there anything that has linked the new LED police red/blue lights to seizures. Their lights are excessively bright. But, I suspect they are designed this way on purpose to increase their visibility. I can't blame them. Too many of our outstanding police officers die on traffic stops. Traffic stops are one of the top killers of police officers.
 

PrchJrkr

Long Haired Country Boy
Ad Free Experience
Patron
Is there anything that has linked the new LED police red/blue lights to seizures. Their lights are excessively bright. But, I suspect they are designed this way on purpose to increase their visibility. I can't blame them. Too many of our outstanding police officers die on traffic stops. Traffic stops are one of the top killers of police officers.

Yet, we still see oblivious idiots not following the move over law. I've seen this happen when there is plenty of room for the offender to move over. They're probably replying to a text and not paying proper attention to the road.

I agree that the white lights are painfully bright.
 

mdff21

Active Member
In most states that are using the lights on top of the buses, when the light is on it means the bus is occupied by children. Maryland for some reason, wants the lights on at all times.
 

officeguy

Well-Known Member
Is there anything that has linked the new LED police red/blue lights to seizures. Their lights are excessively bright. But, I suspect they are designed this way on purpose to increase their visibility. I can't blame them. Too many of our outstanding police officers die on traffic stops. Traffic stops are one of the top killers of police officers.

I believe that those chaotic flashing red/blue beacons cause cops to be run over as they are blindingly bright and draw the drivers attention away from the roadway.
 

Merlin99

Visualize whirled peas
PREMO Member
I believe that those chaotic flashing red/blue beacons cause cops to be run over as they are blindingly bright and draw the drivers attention away from the roadway.
I kind of want a like button for this post. It takes me a good two minutes to recover from seeing these on a dark night.
 
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