Emergency Light Bars Sizes: What’s Out There and What Should You Get?
The correct light bar size depends on each driver’s specific needs. Before buying anything, it is necessary to take several factors into account, including the purpose of the vehicle and the light bars themselves, as well as the requirements and mandates regulated by law, which will depend on your place of residence and the nature of your business. In short, size matters. Which products are right for you, though?
In the following paragraphs, we’re taking a look into different LED light bar sizes and who can make the most use of them.
Light Bar Sizes: Different Types
Light bars come in a wide variety of sizes, and they all serve different purposes and fit different vehicle types. Most commonly, we group them into several categories:
- Mini light bars: These light bars are what people usually think of when talking about light bars. They are smaller in size, so they can accommodate many vehicles, including motorcycles. They are generally somewhere between 12 and 25 inches in length, and you can mount them on various surfaces, including the rooftop of your vehicle or the grille bar.
- Full-size light bars: Full-size emergency light bars can be two times as large as mini light bars, going up to 50 inches in length. Being more extensive, they’re a great option for pick-up trucks, SUVs, ambulances, and other similar emergency vehicles. The downside is that they cannot be mounted anywhere. Their size typically makes them the perfect solution for the rooftop of the vehicle. However, that might also be a good thing, as they are often pretty powerful, so you want them to be as visible as possible.
- Compact or hideaway light bars: Some people don’t need to go big. In contrast to full-size light bars, compact or hideaway lights can be hidden when not in use. They are mountable pretty much anywhere: inside the vehicle, on the grille, etc. Simply flick the switch when you need them, and they’ll blaze up immediately.
- Linear light bars: If you’ve got a large vehicle, you might wanna look into linear light bars. They are rather long, so they fit rather well on bigger vehicles, especially on the rooftop. When up, they provide visibility from all sides, so they’re a great solution if you want to avoid having to put up multiple light bars on the same vehicle.
Who Can Use Them?
So, there are plenty of light bar size options. But what do you choose? That will depend on what kind of first responder you are, and if you’re not one, it will depend on the type of work you do and where.
- Police: Police cruisers typically feature full-size light bars with red and blue lights and alternative flashing patterns. That is understandable, as they want to remain visible and recognizable on the road, especially in crowded areas where others need to make room for them to pass. Those working undercover or driving their personal vehicles can also use smaller hideaway lights. Those are inconspicuous and won’t raise suspicion, so they’re perfect whenever you’re tailing someone in a pinch. However, the perfect light bar size will also depend on the department you’re in and the type of vehicle you have. If you have an SUV, you can go for the largest, fifty-inch bars and mount them on the rooftop or the back. Naturally, you might not be able to experiment a lot because different countries have different rules and regulations, but you will probably be made aware of all that if you’re joining the police force.
- Firefighters: Fire trucks use full-size light bars, too, or linear light bars, if you want to ensure utmost visibility. The brighter the fire engine is, the easier it is for other participants in the traffic to notice it and let it pass. However, since firefighters operate in different kinds of situations, from actual firefighting to road emergencies, you might want to have various kinds of lights mounted or available at any time. You can use linear light bars on the rooftop and mount additional beam or flood optics light solutions at the front, to allow for spotlighting and wide-area illumination, too.
- Ambulances: Ambulances usually have one sole purpose: arriving at the scene and providing necessary health care to the injured. That means you need visible and powerful lights that will alert others of your presence. In other words, you need a full-size light bar or linear bars mounted the same way you’d mount them on a fire engine.
- Construction, utility, and farm vehicles: There are tons of different utility vehicles with complex sets of uses. That means they usually need a combination of all sorts of lighting solutions that helps them stay adaptable and visible in harsh weather conditions and during the night if there are urgent repairs being conducted. Most importantly, you’ll need full-size light bars, at least 40-inch bars, single bulb beacons (hopefully strobe), as well as flood and spotlight lights that will help illuminate large and focus on specific areas as needed.
Where to Get Them?
No matter what LEd light bar sizes you’re looking for, you need to make sure you get a high-quality product. That’s why you should always look to SpeedTech Lights for premium lighting solutions that will meet the needs of every driver.
The SpeedTech Lights shelves are full of light bars of all sizes. Look for full-size light bars fit for trucks and SUVs, and their mounting mechanisms make them ideal for rooftops and back sides of larger vehicles. In contrast, you can browse for mini light bars and mount them anywhere, including on the grille of your vehicle or inside the cabin, where they’ll remain hidden until the need for them arises.
Look no further than the SpeedTech Lights linear bars if you’ve got a truck. They’re bright, durable, and feature plenty of flashing and color patterns, which makes them suitable for fire engines, ambulance vehicles, eight-wheelers, and construction vehicles.
All SpeedTech Products are made of premium materials and put together by trustworthy manufacturers. They are durable, reliable, and do the job in all sorts of working conditions. If you have any questions, contact SpeedTech Lights support and let them guide you.