LED Road Flares vs. Fusee Flares: How LED Flares Improve Road Safety

2023-02-27

Emergency road flares, despite being around for decades, are only recently evolving with more modern technology. The most commonly used is still the traditional fusee flare, which is incendiary. But now, there are also road flares that use LED lights, which offer several advantages over traditional fusee flares.

Overview of Traditional Fusee Flares

A fusee flare is a tube filled with pyrotechnic composition that burns slowly and produces a bright light. These flares are often struck when there are road hazards or if a car has broken down. While these are some of the most popular road flares to use with a few pros, they aren’t without their cons.

Benefits of Traditional Fusee Flares

The main benefit of traditional road flares is that they are less expensive in the short term than LED road flares. There is less of an upfront cost with traditional road flares, and they are convenient to use for a short scene. However, LED flares can save departments money in the long run.

Downsides of Traditional Road Flares

Despite their convenience, traditional fusee flares have a number of drawbacks. The biggest concern with traditional flares is that they can be dangerous if not handled properly. Since they are incendiary, these flares pose a fire risk and have been known to cost fire and police crews pieces of their uniform.

Additionally, incendiary flares need to be properly disposed of. If left on the roadside, there is a risk of them contaminating local water supplies. This can be dangerous to local residents due to the chemicals in the flares.

Traditional flares can be hazardous to the environment. Beyond the risk of contaminating local water supplies, the fire risks are concerning for areas that are prone to wildfires. Faulty flares can also be a danger to crews and vehicles and can potentially catch them on fire.

Overview of LED Road Flares

LED flares are a more recent development in road safety and offer a number of advantages over traditional fusee flares. When implementing LED road flares in your department, there are a few different types you can choose from. They come with a variety of flashing modes and are super bright without causing glare, making them ideal for any roadside emergency.

Types of LED Road Flares

The types of LED roadside flares you’ll most commonly see are sequential road flares, sequential lamps, and smart work zones. These products are highly visible in all conditions and guide drivers in a runway-style sequential pattern on roadways.

• LED Sequential Road Flares: LED sequential road flares are a type of LED flare that offers the benefits of LED flares while also providing higher visibility compared to traditional fusee flares. LED sequential road flares work by flashing in a specific pattern, which can be helpful for directing traffic.

• LED Sequential Lamps: LED sequential lamps are a type of LED flare that offer the benefits of LED flares. LED sequential lamps work similarly to road flares. These emergency lights are low-cost options with a long-lasting battery life and, sometimes, a solar recharge.

• Smart Work Zones: With the introduction and implementation of smart work zones, departments can now remotely monitor their lamp’s location as well as send out alerts for damaged or misplaced items. With standalone fleet management systems such as Pi-Link syncing with apps like Apple Maps and Waze, smart work zones create a comprehensive and seamless experience for drivers and road crews. Alerts are sent to drivers in autonomous vehicles five miles in advance if they’re using Apple Maps or Waze.

• Basic Battery-Powered LED Flares: There are many basic battery-powered LED flares that, while safer for road crews than traditional flares, still have some drawbacks. Inexpensive variants available online only flash and do not offer sequential patterns. By simply flashing, they can distract drivers, whereas a sequential pattern can easily guide motorists around the road hazard. These also require batteries and are not rechargeable, so they are still costly and create a lot of waste. When shopping for high-quality LED flares, you should look for a rechargeable sequential solution instead.

Benefits of LED Flares

LED flares are brighter, longer-lasting, and more visible from a distance. LED flares are particularly well-suited for use in work zones, where their bright light can help to keep workers safe. Even though they are brighter, there is not as much glare for drivers. This makes them much more visible to drivers, which can help to improve safety near road works and other hazards.

LED flares are also less likely to cause fires, making them safer to use in areas with dry vegetation or other flammable materials. This in turn also makes them safer for road crews, as there is no risk of smoke inhalation.

LED flares are also more durable than traditional flares and can be used in all weather conditions. Traditional flares are not waterproof, whereas LED safety flares can be used rain or shine, with different lighting modes so you can adjust as needed for visibility.

They are also easier to store and transport, as they don’t take up much space in a vehicle emergency kit, which makes them a better choice for emergency responders and other professionals who need to carry them around frequently.

Downsides of LED Road Flares

LED emergency road flares are more expensive upfront than traditional fusee flares. However, LED road flares provide a unique return on investment opportunity for departments. Since LED road flares are durable and longer lasting, they can be reused for years instead of burning out after 20 minutes. This saves your department money in the long run.

Crews also want to stay off the road as much as possible for their safety. While LED road flares do need to be retrieved after a scene, roadside safety crews should also be retrieving the remnants of fusee flares after a scene.

Improve Road Worker Safety With LED Road Flares by pi-lit

As our roads become increasingly crowded, it is more important than ever to keep road workers safe and minimize the risk of accidents and delays. With LED road flares, road crews can stay off the roads while still providing key visibility to passing drivers. LED road flares are a safer, brighter, and longer-lasting alternative to traditional fusee flares, making them an ideal choice for safety crews in work zones and other areas.

At pi-lit®, we are committed to providing you with a safe, quality product that has been designed for the long haul. The patented design of our flares minimizes tire impact while maximizing battery volume so they’ll last and do what’s expected: get drivers to comply faster. In addition, we have an anticipated lifespan of over 5+ years with a 2-year warranty. If you’re looking for a way to improve safety in your work zones or roadside areas, contact us today.

Resources for Safety Professionals

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