The Road Commission for Oakland County (RCOC) is equipping six winter maintenance vehicles with green lights to increase visibility/safety and alert motorists to slow down when approaching a snowplow.
Recently, the Michigan Legislature enacted Public Act 161 of 2016 that legalizes the use of green flashing lights on vehicles used to address snow and ice conditions. The use of green flashing or oscillating lights enhances the current use of required amber lights on winter-maintenance vehicles.
Green Lights are being Added to RCOC Snowplow Trucks
“The human eye is very sensitive to yellow/amber and green lights which is the reason many road agencies are using these colors on winter-maintenance vehicles,” said RCOC Managing Director Dennis Kolar. “The addition of green lights will hopefully enhance safety, improve the visibility of RCOC trucks and prevent crashes.”
RCOC will closely monitor the green lights and look at their effectiveness elsewhere as they are used in other counties throughout the state. If the green lights are successful at improving safety, RCOC will equip additional winter-maintenance vehicles with them as well.
RCOC also reminds motorists to never pass a snowplow truck on the road shoulder. Many of the RCOC snowplows are equipped with wing plows (plows which extend from the right side of the truck), and they are frequently used to clear shoulders while the front and underbelly plows clear the traveled lane.
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