When Less Is More: Why Over-Lighting a Vehicle Can Backfire

When Less Is More: Why Over-Lighting a Vehicle Can Backfire

In emergency vehicle upfitting, more lights must be better… right? Not so fast. It turns out that going overboard with flashing LEDs can backfire – causing confusion, glare, and even safety hazards for the very people you’re trying to protect. Welcome to 2025, where emergency lighting best practices are all about smarter, not just brighter. This casual guide (with a dash of wit) breaks down why turning your police cruiser or fire truck into a rolling disco ball might do more harm than good. We’ll explore the common issues with over-lighting, share real-world “too much light” horror stories, and show how modern strategic vehicle upfitting can achieve visibility with fewer lights. Whether you’re focused on police vehicle lighting design, a fire truck lighting guide, or general public safety lighting, the takeaway is the same: sometimes less is more when it comes to flashiness.

The “More Lights = More Safety” Myth

It’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking that if two warning lights are good, ten must be better. Since the 1950s, departments started adding more and bigger lights – if a 35-watt bulb worked, why not a 100-watt? If one rotating beacon was fine, why not a dozen strobes? This “brighter is safer” mindset has led to some vehicles being lit up like Christmas trees . Unfortunately, research and field experience show that over-lighting can actually make scenes less safe . By the late 1990s, officials were sounding the alarm: a U.S. Fire Administration white paper in 1999 pointed to the overuse of “blinding, confusing, and distracting warning lights” as a major cause of accidents, injury and death at emergency scenes . In other words, piling on more flashers isn’t a guarantee of safety – it might be creating new hazards.

Why is the “more is better” idea flawed? Think about it: warning lights are tools, not decorations. The goal is to grab drivers’ attention and direct it appropriately. But when every inch of your vehicle is covered in blinking LEDs, it turns into visual noise. Drivers may see too much light and not enough actual information. As one veteran put it, “Just because you have some money left over to spend on lights, does NOT mean that you should. In MOST cases, less is more.” . Over-lighting can lead to diminishing returns – after a certain point, extra lights don’t make you more visible; they just create a big, confusing glare.

Blinded by the Light: Driver Confusion and Distraction

One of the biggest problems with over-lighting is the effect on other drivers. We want approaching motorists to notice an emergency vehicle and react appropriately (slow down, move over). But there can be too many lights – and the result is often blinding glare and confusion. In fact, surveys of collisions have found many drivers who struck emergency vehicles later said “they were blinded or confused by all the lights.” If you’ve ever driven past a scene at night and felt your retinas scream in agony, you know the feeling.

Real-world incidents back this up. In one case, a Metro Nashville police officer was struck on scene by an oncoming car, and multiple witnesses blamed the sea of flashing lights for impairing drivers’ vision . One witness reported, “Once I passed the accident, the lights literally blinded me… I couldn’t see what was going on.” Multiple emergency vehicles had their warning lights and even high-beam headlights pointed toward traffic, creating a wall of glare . The result? Oncoming drivers experienced a blinding effect, essentially driving through a light curtain without clear visibility of hazards. This example sadly shows how too much lighting can backfire – the very measures meant to alert drivers can overwhelm them instead.

It’s not just that drivers can’t see – they also might not know what to do. Over-lighting can trigger driver confusion. When faced with a chaotic light show, motorists might become indecisive or distracted at the worst possible time. Do they stop? Slow to a crawl? Change lanes? If it looks like all lanes are closed or there’s a major chaos (when maybe it’s just one vehicle on a traffic stop), drivers can make erratic moves. One emergency responder forum commenter described passing a single police car that had so many lights it looked like “1000 pieces of apparatus” were on scene – from a mile away it appeared the entire road was closed, which was totally misleading. As he got closer, the brightness was so disorienting he had to creep by, hoping nobody was in front of him . Not exactly a recipe for orderly, safe passing. His verdict on that over-the-top lighting setup? “Totally overkill, and 100% does more harm than good… In most cases, less is more” .

This driver distraction phenomenon is sometimes grimly nicknamed the “moth effect” – like moths to a flame, people unintentionally fixate on bright lights. Studies have observed that bright red/blue strobes can create a narrowed tunnel of attention in motorists. Drivers tend to drive where they look, so if they’re mesmerized by your light show, they might actually steer toward it (yikes). The “moth effect” is essentially tunnel vision caused by excessive concentration on the flashing lights . Instead of enhancing awareness, too many lights can hypnotize or confuse drivers, reducing their ability to notice other important cues (like traffic cones, officers directing traffic, or that firefighter walking nearby). The Illinois State Police and California Highway Patrol even studied this: they found that police vehicles with light bars flashing, parked on the roadside, had a collision rate 2.5 times higher than comparable vehicles without emergency lights in similar conditions . That’s a sobering statistic – it suggests that in certain scenarios, turning off some lights might actually make everyone safer.

Visibility vs. Effectiveness: When Lights Reduce Vision

Counterintuitive as it sounds, there’s a point where adding more flashing lights reduces overall visibility of the situation. Over-lighting creates visual overload. All those strobes and LEDs can wash out each other and the surrounding scene, reducing contrast. Instead of a clear, defined hazard warning, you get a blob of brightness that obscures the scene.

Imagine an emergency scene at night with six or seven vehicles, all with every light blazing. To an approaching driver, it’s a massive glare bomb. Sure, they’ll see something from afar – probably slow down – but as they get closer, it becomes harder to discern what’s actually happening. The background gets drowned in strobes. They might not see the firefighter crossing the street or the police officer assisting a victim on the roadside, because those reflective vests are lost in the glare. First responders on scene have reported that under some conditions, the warning lights even blind us (the responders). If your own crews are getting dazzled and losing situational awareness, that’s a real problem.

Over-lighting can also create false impressions. The driver anecdote from earlier is a perfect example: a single patrol car running a over-the-top light package looked like a multi-vehicle incident from a distance. Motorists might over-react or under-react based on a mistaken perception of the scene. We’ve probably all seen drivers practically slam their brakes because a roadside vehicle’s lights were so intense that it appeared like a major roadblock ahead, when it was actually off on the shoulder. On the flip side, if every cruiser in town is lit to the nines, drivers might become desensitized – the lights blend into background “noise” because they’re so commonplace and extreme.

There’s also a contrast issue: Effective warning lighting is about contrast against the environment. A few well-placed flashing lights against a dark background stand out sharply. But if you flood the whole area with high-intensity lights, the eye has trouble picking out any specific signal. It’s like trying to read a neon sign in the middle of Times Square – too many lights, and the message gets lost. As one EMT commented about a brilliantly lit ambulance, “I didn’t know if there was any personnel on the side of the rig or if there was oncoming traffic. It was more than necessary… is it too much to ask to use the low power option once in a while?”. In other words, sometimes dialing it down can actually improve clarity. Many modern lighting systems have a low-power or nighttime mode – using it can maintain visibility without blinding everyone in a 5-mile radius.

The Electrical Overload Problem

So far we’ve focused on the immediate visual and safety effects of over-lighting. But let’s not forget the toll on the vehicle itself. Each additional light you slap on your cruiser or fire engine draws power. Ten extra flashers, a couple scene floodlights, a traffic advisor bar, maybe a fancy light-up push-bumper – it all adds up in amps and watts. Increased electrical load is a quiet villain in over-upfitted vehicles, leading to battery drain and long-term strain on the electrical system.

Modern LED emergency lights are pretty efficient compared to old-school halogen rotators or strobes. You might hear folks say, “Oh, LEDs draw so little power, it’s no issue.” True, one LED module sipping an amp or two is nothing to a heavy-duty alternator. But what happens when departments use that efficiency gain as an excuse to install double or triple the number of lights? You’re right back to straining the system. Earlier-generation emergency vehicles (think 70s-80s era) actually ran into trouble adding more lights because the alternators couldn’t keep up . Back then, adding high-wattage halogens and strobes in pursuit of visibility caused electrical overloads and even system failures on fire apparatus . Vehicle electrical systems have improved since, but there is still a limit.

At idle, a police SUV’s alternator might put out, say, 100-150 amps. But consider everything drawing power at a scene: light bar, grille lights, mirror lights, tail lights, interior flashers, radio, MDT, maybe a radar unit, dash camera, scene lights, plus the AC or heater running. It’s not hard to approach the alternator’s capacity, especially in older vehicles or if the department didn’t spec the highest output alternator. Over time, consistently running at high electrical loads can shorten alternator life and wear down the battery (deep cycling it more often). And if you’re in a scenario with the engine off (say an incident where you shut the engine but leave warning lights on for an extended time), even LEDs can drain a battery to the point of no-start. An idling engine just to power excessive lights also means extra fuel burn and engine hours – which translates to more maintenance. Not exactly ideal for fleet health.

The industry has recognized this issue. The NFPA 1901 standard for fire apparatus now limits how much current the warning lighting system can draw and even requires load management systems. Many new vehicles have a “battery guard” or auto shutdown for lights if voltage drops too low. And interestingly, the push toward hybrid and electric police vehicles is bringing heavy-duty electrical capabilities – for example, the new all-electric Chevy Blazer police pursuit vehicle comes with dedicated high-current circuits (20A, 30A, 40A up to 100A) for emergency gear, meaning it’s built to handle police-level electrical loads without breaking a sweat . Still, just because you can power a small city’s worth of LEDs doesn’t mean you should. Strategic upfitting is about managing resources wisely – electrical capacity included. Sometimes that means choosing a streamlined lighting package that meets your needs without turning the wiring harness into an overcooked spaghetti.

Smart Lighting: Achieving More with Less

If over-lighting is bad, what’s the solution – go back to a single beacon on the roof and call it a day? Of course not. Modern problems require modern solutions. The good news is that today’s public safety lighting systems are smarter than ever. You can get more effective warning with fewer actual lights (or at least without maxing out every light at once). The key is quality and strategy over quantity.

Smart flash patterns are one way to do this. Researchers have found that certain flash patterns capture attention better with less glare. For instance, a study noted that simultaneous quick flashes (all lights firing together briefly) can attract attention faster than alternating wig-wags – and you don’t need every light on the truck firing continuously to do it . Patterns that provide a dancing flash when moving, but switch to a slower, synchronous flash when parked, were shown to improve visibility while reducing blinding effects . Many agencies now program “response mode” vs “scene mode” lighting. In response (vehicle en route, moving), the lights might flash rapidly in eye-catching sequences. Once parked on scene, the vehicle can automatically shut off forward-facing and side lights, and maybe dim down the intensity, leaving just rear-facing amber or minimal lights for approaching traffic . This prevents that oncoming glare bomb effect and still warns drivers where the incident is.

Synchronization technology is another game-changer. Rather than a chaotic mix of unsynced flashers, modern systems let you sync lights to flash in coordinated patterns. This avoids the frenzy and presents a clearer signal to drivers. A little bit of sync goes a long way (to quote a popular saying). By timing flashes, you can have an alternating left-right pattern or an all-together high-visibility pop that then gives the eye a rest. One forum member mused that short bursts with plenty of off-time could maintain visibility of the vehicle “without blinding drivers, so they could actually see a person standing nearby”. It’s about working with human perception, not against it.

Importantly, many departments (and upfitters) have moved to multi-level lighting: high intensity up high for long-distance warning, and low-level lights for close-up definition of the vehicle’s profile. The NFPA now actually requires an upper and lower warning level on apparatus for this reason . The lower-level lights outline the vehicle so drivers can perceive its size and position, even if the big light bar is off or dimmed on scene. This gives you the benefit of visibility and orientation without needing 50 different lights all blaring at once.

Finally, automatic dimming and cutoff features are more common in 2025. Light heads with photocells can auto-dim at night. Some systems tie into the vehicle’s gear or park sensor: put the car in Park and certain lights turn off automatically (like those facing other responders or oncoming traffic you’ve already stopped). This takes the guesswork (and the human forgetfulness) out of the equation. An officer or firefighter busy at an incident might not remember to turn off the forward reds, but the smart system will. The result is a calmer, safer scene – one firefighter described how when they limited their warning lights to only what’s needed, “the total scene will calm down” noticeably. No more carnival light shows drawing every looky-loo and blinding everyone; just clear, effective warning directed where it’s needed.

Design for the Mission: Upfitting Based on Needs, Not Ego

When planning an emergency vehicle’s lighting, a core principle is emerging in 2025 emergency lighting best practices: design based on actual mission needs, environment, and department goals. In simple terms, one size does not fit all. The optimal lighting setup for a highway state trooper is different from that of a small-town fire chief’s SUV or a city ambulance. Rather than slapping on every gadget because it’s “cool” or because another agency has it, progressive departments are taking a strategic vehicle upfitting approach.

Start by asking: What scenarios will this vehicle see most? If you’re a highway patrol unit, you’ll be doing high-speed traffic stops and accident responses on busy roads – so rear warning (to protect from oncoming traffic) is king. You might emphasize a powerful rear light bar or arrow stick, and ensure front-facing lights can shut off when parked to avoid blinding approaching drivers. You’ll also care about long-distance visibility (so a few high-intensity flashers up high are useful, but in controlled patterns). On the other hand, a fire engine parked at a neighborhood medical call doesn’t need to be lit up like an EDM concert. It may prioritize scene lighting (for crew safety working around the truck) and use fewer warning lights, maybe shifting to amber or lower-power mode once on scene to avoid bothering residents or oncoming cars. A fire truck lighting guide will emphasize blocking mode – using amber and directional arrows when the truck is blocking traffic, as opposed to full red/blue blitz, per NFPA recommendations.

Environment matters too. Rural area with open highways and low ambient light? A bit more lighting (or higher intensity) might be justified so you’re seen from far away. Dense urban city with lots of background lights and reflections? More subtle lighting may actually be more effective – too much light will reflect off buildings and blind everyone (not to mention annoy the public at 3 AM). Weather conditions are a factor: in fog or heavy rain, certain colors (amber) and lower mounting positions can cut through better than a million candela up high. Departments in fog-prone areas might integrate those considerations, rather than just adding more red/blue strobes that actually perform worse in fog.

Department goals and policies play a role as well. Is your agency aiming to reduce roadside struck-by incidents? Many are adopting policies to reduce lighting once traffic is controlled. Perhaps your police department decides to remove roof lightbars in favor of interior lights (slick-top) for a lower profile and officer safety – studies showed slick-top cars can be safer in some situations by reducing that glaring beacon effect . Or maybe the goal is community relations: some agencies found that incessant, aggressive flashing lights at non-critical scenes agitated or confused the public. The solution could be as simple as programming a gentler flash pattern or turning off the flashy stuff when in residential neighborhoods for routine calls. It all boils down to purpose-driven design. As a fleet upfitter or decision-maker, you should outfit the vehicle to perform its job effectively, not to win “most lights on a single SUV” contests.

Oh, and let’s address the elephant in the room: “How many lights should an emergency vehicle have?” There’s no magic number. The answer is as many as necessary, as few as possible. You need sufficient coverage to meet legal requirements (e.g. visibility from 360 degrees, appropriate colors for your service) and to provide good warning effectiveness. For most modern police or fire vehicles, that might mean a lightbar or a couple beacons, plus a handful of well-placed supplemental lights (grille, side, rear) – often far fewer than the crazy builds you see on YouTube. The trick is placement and programming. A police vehicle lighting design that’s done right might have, say, 8-10 total flashers smartly synced and placed for intersection visibility, instead of 20 unsynced lights glaring. It’s not about the raw count; it’s about strategic coverage. Likewise, a fire engine might have a robust light package, but when in “blocking mode” maybe only two lights are actively flashing (one red, one amber, as some guides suggest) – and guess what, that’s often plenty to warn motorists without overloading them.

In short, ask why each light is there. If you don’t have a clear answer (“because it looked cool” is not a valid answer!), consider deleting it or choosing a different solution. Upfitting is as much about restraint as it is about adding tech.

Conclusion: Function First, Not Just Flash

At the end of the day, the goal of emergency vehicle lighting is to protect and inform, not to show off. As we’ve seen, too many lights can create new dangers – from blinding oncoming drivers and responders, to draining your battery and budget. The ethos for 2025 and beyond is clear: design for function first, not just flash. This is a core principle we live by at Blueprint Fleet. A well-designed lighting setup will do its job – make you visible when you need to be – without excess lights causing confusion or mechanical strain. So the next time you’re spec’ing out that new patrol car or rescue truck, remember: when it comes to emergency lighting, less can be more. Smart, purpose-driven lighting beats a flashy free-for-all every time. After all, the ultimate upfitting flex isn’t having the brightest, most-lit vehicle on the block – it’s having one that gets the job done safely while looking sharp and professional (okay, with just enough flash to turn heads appropriately!).

In the world of strategic vehicle upfitting, the winners are those who balance visibility with vision. Keep it smart, keep it functional, and save the light shows for the holidays.

Blueprint Fleet’s motto says it best: we design for function first, not just flash.