You would think a huge flashing warning light LED lightbar on an emergency vehicle at the side of the road would be hard to miss. Sadly some people who have injured or killed first response personnel at a roadside have claimed not to be aware of their presence. Some people it would seem take more notice of a warning led light on a games console than they do when they are behind the wheel. We often are so caught up in our driving it becomes a distraction but we really should stay alert at all times. Being aware of what's going on around us when we are driving is a must to keep others and us safe.
If we see a flashing warning light LED ahead of us on the road what should you do? First of all check out if your state has published a 'move over' law, the majority of states have one. What this law will advise is what is expected of you if you see flashing lights. Most will advise a move to an adjacent lane where possible and a reduction in speed. Many 'move over' laws will say if you can't change lanes then you must at least reduce your speed to below that posted. Therefore, you can pass an incident or accident scene safely. The move over laws has been introduced in an effort to save first responders from injury or death at a roadside.
A warning light LED is always an indicator that something is wrong, it's a warning signal. Emergency vehicles need to respond as quickly as possible to priority one calls and the only way they can do that is to have flashing LED light bars and sirens. First responders won't use the lights and sirens to respond to any call, only those that are deemed emergencies. In most instances there will be rules and regulations regarding the use of flashing lights and sirens and they must be adhered to.
If you see a warning light LED, you would do well not to ignore it