What Are The Blue Lights On Some Florida Traffic Signals Used For?

Drivers successful definite areas of Florida for illustration Gainesville, Fort Myers, Orlando, and Collier County, person begun noticing overseas small bluish lights mounted connected nan apical of immoderate postulation signals. What are they location for? In spite of what you aliases your passengers whitethorn person speculated, they person thing to do with reddish ray cameras. However, for illustration postulation cameras, they play a domiciled successful catching drivers who tally reddish lights.

These small bluish lights are called confirmation lights, and they are designed to thief rule enforcement officers to spot from immoderate guidance which lights are red. For example, if a driver is going south, but nan bull is facing successful different direction, nan serviceman wouldn't beryllium capable to spot whether nan driver's ray was reddish erstwhile they entered nan intersection. This is because a bluish confirmation light, which is only illuminated erstwhile nan awesome beneath it is red, tin beryllium seen from immoderate direction.

There are a fewer imaginable benefits to installing these lights. For 1 thing, only 1 serviceman is needed to show an intersection alternatively of two. Additionally, it's little vulnerable for constabulary officers, since they tin show full intersections from a safe vantage point. Most importantly, it's hoped that an first summation successful citations will beryllium a deterrent for drivers moving reddish lights going forward.

Florida isn't nan only authorities wherever these lights person been installed. Cities successful Colorado, South Dakota, and Kansas person besides installed these bluish indicators. In fact, nan Minnesota Department of Transportation conducted a information study successful 2014 connected nan effect of confirmation lights successful Florida. Shortly thereafter, nan small bluish lights started popping up successful Minnesota towns for illustration Blaine, Crystal, and Maplewood.

That study recovered that crashes caused by moving reddish lights dropped by 33% aft these confirmation lights were installed. Another study done by nan Federal Highway Administration successful 2017 stated that its results indicated "statistically important clang reductions for astir clang types". So, each signs look to bespeak nan confirmation lights are working.

This is important because, while postulation fatalities from all types of car crashes dropped somewhat past year, reddish ray moving is simply a important origin of postulation fatalities successful nan U.S. According to nan Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), 1,086 group were killed and 136,000 were injured successful 2023 successful accidents that progressive moving of reddish lights. Pedestrians, bicyclists, and drivers and passengers successful different vehicles made up half of nan full fatalities.

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What we really mean to opportunity is don't tally reddish lights, anywhere, sloppy of your chance of getting caught. Running a reddish ray tin beryllium fatal to you, your passengers, different drivers, and moreover pedestrians. That's not worthy nan mates of minutes you mightiness prevention connected your trip.

If that's not capable inducement to obey postulation signals, see nan penalties if you do get caught. In Florida, being caught connected camera moving a reddish ray will costs you a $158 fine. Failure to salary will consequence successful a Uniform Traffic Citation being issued, and you whitethorn past person to salary up to $500, including administrative costs and tribunal fees. 

However, if you are pulled complete by an serviceman — possibly 1 who saw nan small bluish confirmation ray — you're looking astatine upwards of $264, depending connected nan county, arsenic good arsenic points connected your license. No matter really you look astatine it, there's nary bully logic to tally a reddish light. So, thrust safely and obey nan postulation signals.