Is it legal to use a LED strobe while driving in fog?

I live in Ohio, and I can't find anything on the books about the legality of using a small LED strobe (like the Elite X-Ray / EternaLight) when driving in fog. I would want to put it in my rear window so I would not get hit from behind, of course until I could somehow find a way to get off the road where I could be safe.

This may be off-topic for this forum. If it is I apologize in advance.

Sincerely,

Jim

I'm also from Ohio and a school bus driver, were required to operate a flashing strobe light in fog, snow, rain, or other conditions that require them being on(making frequent stops or operating at a slower than normal speed limit. It would be nice to have them on in everyday passanger cars and trucks, but the hieght of the car or trucks along with the flashing (strobing) of the light would blind either on coming drivers from the front and rear causing a greater risk of an accident. You may want to contact the Ohio Highway Patrol on the matter to this question. If it's bad enough I would use my 4 ways as a warning to other drivers, weather that's legal to do or not i'm unsure, but least in lets other driver know about where I am. Hope it helps, but contact the highway patrol to be safe and put your mind at ease.

I'm from Ohio too, Best thing to do is contact www.odot.com or the highway patrol. As a school bus driver we use them in fog,or other road conditions to alert drivers were around and were moving at a slow speed. Salt trucks, garbage trucks, and other public service equiptment have them too. Having them on regular passanger cars or trucks may blind other driver causing greater risk of a accident if people get blinded from the eye level of such lights. Contact one of the above to put your mind at ease, it is a good and interesting question btw.

Sorry for the double post,got booted and was unsure my first reply worked or not.

Don't bother with LEDs. Not enough output. You'll see that construction vehicles and such that stops often or stays in a lane stopped uses xenon arc strobe with amber cover. No LED today can match the flashing output of xenon arc tubes.

It may sound safe to do, but from what I understand, a flashing/strobing light on your vehicle could increase your chances of being hit by a passing motorist instead of decreasing them. I am fairly sure some of the LEO CPF'ers here could attest to patrol cars being hit while on traffic stops because of their lights and strobes being on. The strobes attract the attention of passing motorists and causes SOME (not all) people to unconsciously move towards them. I know you want to be safe, but please be careful about what you perceive as safe. Just what I have heard...

In california, if I remember correctly, if the road becomes too unvisible, you can put on your emergency flashers(left and right turn signals) as a way to warn the drivers behind you, I have driven many times in heavy rain and fog with that method and never got a secodn look from any enforcement personells.

This is correct. Intoxicated motor vehicle operators actually "drive" towards lights, especially brake lights and the flashing lights of a cruiser during a traffic stop.

I hope you don't mind this is slightly off topic but if you hold the cursor over this topic in the LED forum you say you want to put the light in an interesting place!

Again I apologise I couldn't help it!

Push bikes use them

over here in fog we use a 21 or 25w red light either one on the drivers side or one on each side, preferrably mounted low in the rear bumper to shine under the fog, its a legal requirement, we have to retrofit them to imports. some retards dont bother ever switching them off which is a pain if your behind them in good weather. the switch for them must have an indicator light in easy view so you know you`ve left your foglights on.

Heres an example of well positioned foglights.

Concept said:

I hope you don't mind this is slightly off topic but if you hold the cursor over this topic in the LED forum you say you want to put the light in an interesting place!

Again I apologise I couldn't help it!

Click to expand...

Absolutely hilarious.. I couldn't believe it when I looked. ROFL

Jim

Copiertech is correct. Rear fog lights (red) are on a few cars sold in the United States (A few Oldsmobiles and the Hyundai Sante Fe come to mind, as well as some "high end" vehicles). They project a brighter red beam than your regular tail lights.

There are aftermarket kits available, and that might be the way to go. Just compare the lights advertised mounting system with your vehicle to make sure they are compatible.

Concept said:

I hope you don't mind this is slightly off topic but if you hold the cursor over this topic in the LED forum you say you want to put the light in an interesting place!

Again I apologise I couldn't help it!

Click to expand...

Good catch......I needed a smile. :laughing:

In both Wyoming and California, flashing red and/or rear facing flashing white light lights operated or even installed on moving vehicles on public roads and highways are severly restricted by statute(s).

There is a need is for brighter tail lights in the fog, without having to install additional lamp assemblies. The typical 3CP tail lights dont cut it.

I have 50W backup lamps already. I need to look into this subject some more.

Again, I couldn't help myself so sorry.

Back to the topic

I would put my vote in for an aftermarket tailgate mounted kit with the yellow or red lamps. Front yellow or back red.

The answer you seek is in the following section of the Ohio Traffic Code:
Specifically, section (C)

4513.17. Number of lights permitted; direction of beam; flashing, oscillating or rotating lights.

(A) Whenever a motor vehicle equipped with headlights also is equipped with any auxiliary lights or spotlight or any other light on the front thereof projecting a beam of an intensity greater than three hundred candle power, not more than a total of five of any such lights on the front of a vehicle shall be lighted at any one time when the vehicle is upon a highway.

(B) Any lighted light or illuminating device upon a motor vehicle, other than headlights, spotlights, signal lights, or auxiliary driving lights, that projects a beam of light of an intensity greater than three hundred candle power, shall be so directed that no part of the beam will strike the level of the roadway on which the vehicle stands at a distance of more than seventy-five feet from the vehicle.

(C) (1) Flashing lights are prohibited on motor vehicles, except as a means for indicating a right or a left turn, or in the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching, or overtaking or passing. This prohibition does not apply to emergency vehicles, road service vehicles servicing or towing a disabled vehicle, traffic line stripers, snow plows, rural mail delivery vehicles, vehicles as provided in section 4513.182 of the Revised Code, department of transportation maintenance vehicles, funeral hearses, funeral escort vehicles, and similar equipment operated by the department or local authorities, which shall be equipped with and display, when used on a street or highway for the special purpose necessitating such lights, a flashing, oscillating, or rotating amber light, but shall not display a flashing, oscillating, or rotating light of any other color, nor to vehicles or machinery permitted by section 4513.11 of the Revised Code to have a flashing red light.

Section (F), which I did not paste, allows simultaneous flashing of turn signals, ie the flashers, during unfavorable atmospheric conditions.

Wow Ras, thanks for the work! I looked, but obviously I am not as good of a Google-er as you (lol). Anyway, it's still as clear as mud to me according to the OTC. For example, the statement that "Flashing lights are prohibited on motor vehicles, except as a means for indicating a right or a left turn, or in the presence of a vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching," seems like an "OK" for strobes to me. HOWEVER, from all of the posts, it seems that collective wisdom tells me that strobes are NOT safe. Also, the average person is not going to know what "300 candle-power" is, either, etc..Nonetheless, I have learned a lot about this topic. You CPFers are amazing!!!
Sincerely,

JimB

I beleve they intend that "vehicular traffic hazard requiring unusual care in approaching," to mean a vehicle that is stuck in the roadway, which is why you would put your flashers on.

I could not find it in my brief search of Ohio's code, but usually there is a catch all somewhere that makes the use of lighting equipment that has not been DOT approved illegal.

So in essence, I think you can not do what you indend to do.