Blues on all the time.

[Elderly]

Coming towards me in the far distance on an unlit single carriageway last night, was a vehicle with many very bright permanently lit blue lights.

When it got close to me I saw that it was a marked police car with all the forward pointing roof mounted blues on solidly (no flashing),
I noticed in my mirror that it was closely followed by another marked car with only its rear facing outer blues on, which were not very bright and not flashing.

Any explanation please?

[Amused2death]

You missed the vehicle in the middle that had no lights at all?

[Drumroll]

Could be as simple as a relay gone, stopping the "flash" sequence.

[Elderly]

Amused2death said:

You missed the vehicle in the middle that had no lights at all?

There might have been one, but it was dark and the oncoming blues were very dazzling,
and by the time that they had passed me in the other direction looking in my mirror, a car with NO lights could have been missed?

Edited by Elderly on Friday 31st January 12:39

[Greendubber]

No idea, if we're in tandem in the lead vehicle we'll knock the rear facing lights off to prevent the second car being blinded, seems odd the lights weren't flashing, I dont think we can even get our lights to stay constantly on with no flash to be honest.

[Roboticarm]

It's intentional, they kept getting speeding fines as camera flashes and blue light can't be seen as it's in the off part of the cycle, solid blue makes it clear blues are on and the paperwork is never sent.
Usually a much smaller light

[anonymous-user]

Roboticarm said:

It's intentional, they kept getting speeding fines as camera flashes and blue light can't be seen as it's in the off part of the cycle, solid blue makes it clear blues are on and the paperwork is never sent.
Usually a much smaller light

There's never, as far as I am aware, been an issue with the protocol of presuming exemptions are being used when triggering off cameras. Whether that be the older standards lights or newer LEDs.

[Marcellus]

Isn't there something around Thames Valley doing this to as a reminder to everyone that "we're here" but not on a call?

[mikees]

Going north bound on the a34 this afternoon there were 3 police discos going south in convoy all with solid blues on roof lights. Is this a thing?

Mike

[wazztie16]

Makes me think of being in Spain, solid blue lights on top of police cars, always thought it's to tell people they're in the area and watching.

[Chalkius]

Roboticarm said:

It's intentional, they kept getting speeding fines as camera flashes and blue light can't be seen as it's in the off part of the cycle, solid blue makes it clear blues are on and the paperwork is never sent.
Usually a much smaller light

Seems unlikely. The fine would just be sent to Police HQ for the force who owns the car, they'd find out who was using the car at the time and check if they were responding to a job that required blue lights. If so, the ticket gets cancelled. If not, the cop has some explaining to do.

[xx99xx]

It was dark, and on the opposite side of the M1 to me, but saw a vehicle with solid blues on the roof this week. I didn't give it a second thought until I fumbled upon this thread. I still don't really care but just adding my bit to reassure previous witnesses that you're not going mad, you probably did see static blue lights.

[TheRainMaker]

In the 90’s Thames Valley had “cruise lights” fitted in the roof bars of the senators when they came out. They we just bright enough to light up the bar and no where near as bright as the main strobes.

Sounds like the car you came across might have been broken.

[Red 4]

Chalkius said:

Roboticarm said:

It's intentional, they kept getting speeding fines as camera flashes and blue light can't be seen as it's in the off part of the cycle, solid blue makes it clear blues are on and the paperwork is never sent.
Usually a much smaller light

Seems unlikely. The fine would just be sent to Police HQ for the force who owns the car, they'd find out who was using the car at the time and check if they were responding to a job that required blue lights. If so, the ticket gets cancelled. If not, the cop has some explaining to do.

Irrespective of the camera/ prosecution situation some light bars do display a permanent blue light when the lights are activated.

Ambulances also have a permanent blue on the rear of the vehicle, separate to the lights on the roof.

As said, it's so the images show the lights were in operation.

I've never known a light bar that was able to be fully lit permanently blue though.

Edited by Red 4 on Friday 31st January 18:44

[eldrich]

Pretty sure the traffic cameras they only have one that is on all the time and that is rear-facing. The idea being that whoever looks at the image can instantly see the car was on blues and discard the image. Before if the blues were 'off cycle' they would have to double check if a car was on a blues run at that time/place which of course took someone time up when they could be doing other things.

[xx99xx]

But what we're talking about here are blue lights permanently on, without any other flashing lights.

[CanAm]

Yesterday morning I saw three marked police cars in convoy, 'making progress' on the A27 near Lewes, all with their blue lights on constant.

Edited to add, with no other flashing lights on.

[Nickyboy]

The solid blue is purely for visibility, the old strobe light bars had the same but they were just small lights on the end of the light bar.

[Tango13]

Just out of interest does anyone know why blue lights were originally sellected for emergency vehicles?

[TheRainMaker]

Tango13 said:

Just out of interest does anyone know why blue lights were originally sellected for emergency vehicles?

Taken from google search

The use of the blue emergency light originates in Germany during World War II. As a result of the ‘Verdunkelung’, a black-out measure for aerial defense from 1935, cobalt blue was regulated to replace the red color used until 1938 in emergency vehicle lights.[1][2] Due to the scattering properties of the blue color, it is only visible to lower altitudes and is therefore less easily spotted by enemy airplanes.