The role of police car strobe lights
Many police cars are driving with their lights on but not flashing. What does this mean? Do you need to give way? Know what these strobe lights mean and you'll be a better driver.
As technology improves, so do police cars. Over the years, versions of police lights on vehicles have evolved from halogen lights to strobe lights to today's LED-style lights. As a result, the options that police have to control the lights have also improved. For most police departments, the non-flashing lights are called cruise mode. It illuminates the far corners of the light bar without any sort of flash pattern, suggesting law enforcement doesn't want to draw unwanted attention. You can usually find it in high traffic areas. These lights can deter criminal activity because it shows the presence of police and allows people to quickly identify law enforcement officers when needed.
You don't need to give way to a police car that activates the lights this way, but remember that if the light pattern starts flashing and the siren is activated, that's when you need to get off the road.
