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Workers in construction and transportation sectors are at increased risk for work-related injuries and fatalities by nearby traffic. Barricade-mounted warning lights meeting current specifications do not always provide consistent and adequate visual guidance to drivers and can contribute to glare and reduced safety. Through an implementation of sensors and wireless communications, a novel, intelligent set of warning lights and a tablet-based interface were developed. The lights modulate between 100% and 10% of maximum intensity rather than between 100% and off in order to improve visual guidance and adjust their overall intensity based on ambient conditions. The lights can be synchronized or operated in sequential flash patterns at any frequency between 1 and 4 Hz, and sequential patterns automatically update based on global positioning satellite (GPS) locations displayed in the control interface.

Flashing emergency lights on police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances need to be bright enough to alert otherwise unaware drivers about their presence on and near the roadway. Anecdotal evidence suggests that public safety agencies select emergency lighting systems with red or blue flashing lights based on their apparent brightness, with brighter lights judged as "better." With the advent of light emitting diodes (LEDs), emergency flashing lights are brighter and produce more highly saturated colors, thereby causing greater discomfort and disability glare. As a result, first response workers are at higher risk for being injured or killed in vehicle crashes because approaching drivers cannot see them. In the present study, participants viewed red and blue flashing lights on a scale model police vehicle, conforming to present recommended practices for emergency lights. Lights varied in intensity and optical power (intensity × duration).

Warning lights and beacons on service vehicles such as maintenance trucks, tow trucks, utility service vehicles and delivery vehicles are an important line of defense for the workers who operate them. These flashing lights can also contribute to visual chaos making it difficult to navigate through a work zone location. Research on the flashing configuration and spatial and temporal coordination of warning lights that could adapt to ambient conditions and situations is described, leading to recommendations for preliminary performance specifications