Believe it or not, not all police light bars actually provide complete circular visibility of the lights they house. This is a feature that is very important for the visibility of your department’s cruisers, and therefore should be considered a safety feature. Some models of lights claim to offer 360-degree visibility, but actually have significant obstruction of their bulbs. Be sure to keep an eye out for light bars designed to offer unobstructed light. Certain models of light bars actually allow for multiple degree-measurements of visibility, allowing your officers to use their own discretion to determine the visibility of their lights. This sort of feature could be useful for late night residential stops, where lights only need to be visible to the car that is being pulled over so that sleeping residents of the neighborhood are not disturbed.
LED bulbs are one of Exhaust
Muffler Seal Ring the best features a light bar can have. In addition to
providing bright, naturally colored light, LEDs have very long lifespans. They
are very durable, being enclosed in high-quality plastics instead of glass, and
are designed to be usable even in very cold conditions without risk of damage.
They are also significantly lower cost to replace in the case of damage, as LED
light bars are constructed using arrays of tiny, inexpensive bulbs. On top of
all of these practical features, LED bulbs are also the ideal
environmentally-friendly option, as they are incredibly easy to recycle and are
made with non-toxic materials.
Many high-end light bars offer lower-cost models with only single-colored
lights. While these may be cost-effective, they are unlikely to serve the needs
of your emergency vehicles. Make sure to look out for models offering
dual-colored lights. Along the same lines, programmable flash options are a
feature that is ideal for police cruisers and other emergency vehicles as well.
Being able to change the strobe patterns of your vehicle’s light bar allows
different settings for the demands of varying situations; for example, a
programmable light bar could be set to strobe slowly for idle use in a
construction zone or for an officer directing traffic.
A lasting light bar requires quality materials. Make sure to research the
materials of the encasements of your chosen light closely. If you are in a
high-temperature location, such as Arizona or New Mexico, make sure you get
lights that won’t overheat or melt. Low quality plastics may not have the heat
rating to survive intense sunlight. Additionally, while LED light bulbs are very
resistant to the cold, their encasements might not be. Make sure to mind the
materials in cold environments as well, as cracked plastic will affect
functionality.
Watching out for useful features will ensure that your department gets police light bars that will last and will serve your officers well. It’s well worth the time to shop for the features you need. Need help exploring your options? Don’t hesitate to call us at 1-888-562-5125!