Choosing lightbars and beacons in New Zealand

Beacons and lightbars come in many styles to outfit any work or emergency vehicle—you see them on the road every day. From police, ambulance and other emergency vehicles to tow trucks and road crews, beacons and lightbars are on vehicles New Zealand-wide.

Let Adsafe help you select the best setup for your needs.

Beacons, or lightbars?

Lightbars are a professional and more conspicuous style of beacon typically used by pilot vehicles for overdimension loads, house removals, police, emergency vehicles, pilot vehicles, recovery vehicles, airport operations vehicles etc.

But a clarification to this… A few years ago, anyone looking for a ‘lightbar’ was wanting a flashing beacon array for warning or emergency situations. Today a lightbar (or light bar) just as often refers to a high-output LED white light line up for 4WD or off-road night driving. Here we’re talking about emergency lightbars, not the 4WD ones.

Beacon colours

Amber is by far the most the most popular warning light colour for two reasons:

Orange is the traditional colour of warning. Drivers brains are conditioned to be on the alert as soon as they see flashing amber light.

The colours that can be used for beacons by different users are prescribed by law. Red can only be used by emergency or law enforcement services. Likewise, blue is restricted to government officers. Of the other colours, green indicates a doctor or midwife’s vehicle and purple/magenta means a load is more than 5m wide. Which leaves amber as the colour for all other non-emergency vehicles.

Wherever you go, on and off road, you’ll see amber LED beacons and lightbars. With multiple mounting options, programmable flash patterns, high intensity light output and ease of installation, there’s an appropriate beacon or lightbar for your vehicle.

emergency-equip

The rules for NZ roads

But not just anyone is allowed to fit lightbars or beacons to their vehicles—here’s an overview of the requirements and recommendations for road vehicles on NZ highways:

Beacons required:

Equipment and vehicles used in 'mobile operations' on highways or road reserves must be fitted with one, and preferably two, amber beacons. Examples of mobile operations are: kerbside refuse collections, inspections, installing or removing pavement markers, mowing and weed spraying, marker post maintenance, litter and debris pick-up, pothole repairs, snow clearing/spreading grit, events held on public roads, surveying, monitoring traffic counts; and road construction activities such as rolling, grading, road marking, water carts and drag brooming.

An overdimension motor vehicle must be fitted with an amber beacon so that it is visible to approaching traffic and the beacon must operate:
- during the hours of darkness, if the vehicle (including any load) is 3.7 m in width or less
- at all times, if the vehicle (including any load) exceeds 3.7 m in width
- at all times, if the vehicle is being escorted by a pilot vehicle

A pilot vehicle must be fitted with amber, or amber and purple beacons. A leading pilot vehicle can use an amber beacon for loads up to 5m wide. Amber and purple (sometimes called magenta) beacons are required if the load is greater than 5m wide). The next pilot vehicle should have an amber beacon with a sign that says 'wide load follows'.

Agricultural vehicles registered after 1 June 2013 must display and operate one or more amber beacons visible from the front and rear at distances of at least 100 metres. If the vehicle has a trailer or an implement that obscures the beacon, the trailer or implement also needs to be fitted with a beacon.

Only police vehicles may use red and blue combined beacons.

Beacons recommended:

A vehicle recovery service vehicle may be fitted with one or two amber beacons

A vehicle operated in accordance with a traffic management plan approved by a road controlling authority may be fitted with one or two amber beacons

Where it is necessary to warn road users of a hazard due to the vehicle being stationary or being driven slowly, or to warn of activity in the vicinity, the vehicle may be fitted with one or two amber beacons.

Emergency vehicles (fire engines and ambulances) may be fitted with one or more red beacons and one or more white forward-facing beacons

An emergency vehicle operated by an enforcement officer, including customs officers, fishery officers, and marine reserve rangers, may be fitted with one or more blue beacons

A motor vehicle operated by a registered medical practitioner, nurse or midwife may be fitted with one green beacon

Off-highway uses for beacons:

Apart from highway safety, warning beacons can be used:

Where equipment is in use such as forklifts, loaders or diggers—especially if near personnel
To warn of potential hazards from factory equipment
To notify site conditions or evacuations
To attract attention at public events, trade displays etc.

This information is provided in good faith to give an overview of current NZ legislation. Check the legislation here, NZTA’s requirements here, requirements for on-road use of agricultural vehicles here, COPTTM’s requirements here and here, requirements for overdimension vehicles here, requirements for flash patterns and light output on page 78 here.

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