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In lugnet.general, Dean Hystad writes:
> > Wow. I'm not sure the trend has been as popular in Southwestern Ontario. I
> > can honestly say I say my first lime green rescue vehicle just today. Weird
> > timing, I know, but then that's life for you. And no, the ambulance did not
> > stand out very well against other traffic, or the fresh blanket of snow we
> > got in the last couple days. If you ask me, it would have been much more
> > visible painted bright white with bright orange stripes and detailing.
>
> Must be something wrong with your eyes.
This is very likely. :)
However, I really needed to do a double take to identify this ambulance
yesterday. It simply didn't stand out against the other traffic, the grey
of the sky or the snow. Not nearly as much as I would think it should. I
realize that's not very scientific, but it is what I saw.
> Extensive studies have shown that
> this optic green (think that's the name) is the most visible color over a
> wide range of viewing conditions. Red is a really bad color in the dark and
> at twilight.
Isn't that why some departments began using the bright yellow years ago?
And speaking of visibility at night, here is an interesting quote from Capt.
David Whitt of the Sacramento City Fire Department:
"We didn't like the green, but it was supposed to be more visible than red,"
he said. "Turns out, that's only true in the daytime. At night, it all
depends on lights, anyway, and we're always lit up like a Christmas tree."
- source:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/community_news/sacramento/story/5192455p-6201234c.html
I also found several mentions of how new reflective tape technology has made
the overall color of the truck less important. Which, combined with the
lights, really makes the most sense. From a distance, in the dark, how
visible is any color of paint?
Here is another article though that backs up the lime yellow color (which is
a term Larry also used) with some study data:
http://www.usroads.com/journals/aruj/9702/ru970203.htm
Finally, here's a cute poem to round out my cites:
Why are fire trucks red?
A: Fire trucks have four firefighters and eight wheels.
Four and eight make twelve.
There are twelve inches in a foot.
Rulers are a foot long.
Queen Elizabeth II is a ruler and is also the name of the largest ship that
sails the seven seas.
Seas have fish and fish have fins.
The Finns fought the Russians and the Russians are red.
Fire trucks are always rushin' to fires therefore fire trucks are red.
> Most new fire and rescue vehicles are this color these days.
As a cyclist, I have also dealt with the color/visibility debate. I've worn
both a bright red and a bright yellow jacket during different years. Based
solely on careless drivers pulling out in front of me, I would surmise that
a bright, almost lemon yellow is the most effective... especially at dusk,
during the night and against a white snowy background. Now, I've never
tried lime green, so the study really isn't complete. :)
> The only problem with being so visible is that it's hard to hide how ugly a
> truck looks when painted this color.
I don't think fire trucks are ugly at all. As mentioned elsewhere in the
thread, I think the ARFF's are a great look... looking exactly as they
should for what they do. And classic pumper and ladder trucks are beautiful
machines if you ask me. Will they look awful in 'optic green'? Possibly.
But then so would most vehicles. :)
All the best,
Allan B.
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: TECHNIC IS NOT DEAD!!!
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| (...) Must be something wrong with your eyes. Extensive studies have shown that this optic green (think that's the name) is the most visible color over a wide range of viewing conditions. Red is a really bad color in the dark and at twilight. Most (...) (22 years ago, 5-Jan-03, to lugnet.general, lugnet.technic)
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