When should we use the emergency lights?

When should we use the emergency lights?

Drivers are familiar with the red triangle button in the car, which is the "emergency light" button. But do you  know what this emergency button is actually designed for and when should it be turned on?

Today, PTT Lubricants brought you the correct use of emergency lights to create a safer road environment for you and everyone else.

⭕ DO use emergency lights

⭕ Use emergency lights when the car breaks down and is unable to move

You can legally turn on emergency lights if your car breaks down and obstructs the traffic or in case of an accident that you cannot move your car following Thai regulation. The light will serve as a warning sign to the other cars behind, so that they can be careful and slow down or divert the car immediately.

 

❌ DO NOT use emergency lights

❌ Do not turn on emergency lights during heavy rain.

Many of you might think that having emergency lights on all the time while driving in the rain will help other cars see your car clearly and urge them to be more careful. In fact, it’s going to harm both of you and other drivers on the road. When you turn on emergency lights, you can't use the turn signals on both sides and the car behind you will not know which direction you want to go. In addition, turning on emergency lights also affects the visibility of other drivers due to the refraction of light that hits the water droplets on the windshield. If many cars on the road decide to do that, it will make the vision more unclear. More importantly, if there is a broken car parked on the side of the road with the emergency lights on, people might get confused and end up hitting that car instead. What to do when driving in the rain is slowing down, driving carefully, and keeping a distance from the vehicle in front of you for safety.

❌ Do not turn on emergency lights while driving normally.

DO NOT turn on emergency lights while you are driving normally because it may cause danger when you want to change lanes. The car driving behind will not be able to know whether you want to go left or right with the emergency lights on. What you should do is turning on the turn signal in advance before you try to change lanes. 

❌ Do not turn on emergency lights while parking on the roadside to buy groceries or run errands

This can be seen very often when the driver/passenger has to stop by a place to run a quick errands or to grab something from the shop. Many people misunderstood that emergency lights are supposedly for this situation, however, doing so can cause heavy traffic congestion, even though it is just a short stop. Therefore, you should park the car in the place that is designated for parking only.

❌ Do not turn on emergency lights while driving through the intersection.

Many people usually misunderstand that turning on emergency lights when driving across an intersection can guarantee better safety. However, that is a very dangerous misunderstanding If you turn on emergency lights while driving through an intersection, other vehicles driving from both the left and right will only see the flashing light on one side and may perceive it as a turn signal. This can lead to an accident. What you should do is to slow down when approaching an intersection, look to the left and right carefully to make sure that it is safe before resuming forwards.

And that concludes the correct ways to use emergency lights. Be sure to use the light properly and always follow the traffic rules, for your safety throughout the journey. Lastly, don't forget to take care of your car with products from PTT Lubricants! 💙