Best Safety Lights to Add to Your Pickup Truck
Whether you drive occasionally or every day for your work, having the appropriate safety lights for trucks on the road is essential.
Across the U.S., around 49% of all road accidents happen at night, with the fatality rate being about three times higher than daylight crashes.
Reduced visibility at night is highly responsible for the dramatic increase.
Having the right lights makes the road a lot safer for you and the other vehicles and pedestrians you may come in contact with.
You must ensure your aftermarket lights abide by local traffic laws. However, as a general rule of thumb, most people can upgrade their lighting and increase visibility.
To help you better understand your options, we’ll review some of the best safety lights to add to your pickup truck and what your options are.
Why You Need Safety Lights
The fact is: good lighting saves lives and reduces the number of accidents. Therefore, it couldn’t be any more important to have good safety lights for your truck.
Not only is it your responsibility as the operator of a vehicle to make sure you have the appropriate lighting in the eyes of the law, but it’s also your duty as a road user to make the roads a safer place.
If you’re operating a commercial vehicle, there are some safety lights you may be required to use by law. Familiarize yourself with the legal requirements for the vehicle you’re operating.
For use on personal pickup trucks, it’s up to you for the most part which lights you choose to add in addition to the factory fitted lights.
You may want to add safety lights to:
- Go offroading
- Customize the look of your truck
- Adjust to your location’s weather, climate, or conditions
- Serve a function for your job
- Enjoy experiences such as tailgating or camping
Look into which lights you can add to your truck to increase visibility and help other road users. For example, if you have a lot of foggy weather where you live, adding stronger fog lights is a great safety upgrade.
Safety Lights on Emergency, Commercial, and Construction Vehicles
Trucks can perform a variety of functions depending on the need. As someone who drives a truck, you probably know that one model can serve commercial, construction, or other needs with the right modifications.
Many people operate their trucks for daily and work purposes.
To give you a better understanding of how safety lights for pickup trucks play an important role for some people and vehicles, below are some examples of vehicles that use certain lights.
Snow Plows
Pushing snow in extreme conditions with limited visibility requires a lot of high powered LED lights. Snow plows typically have light bars and light beacons. Some lights are positioned up high to shine over the top of their plow and on the road ahead, and beacons will be visible to other road users.
Emergency Vehicles
Emergency vehicle lighting consists of blue, white, and red flashing lights. These serve as a warning to everyone that they need to make way for the vehicle to pass.
Emergency vehicles include:
- Police
- Fire Trucks
- Ambulance
- Other first responders
In virtually all cases, you’d never put red or blue lights on your daily driver. And even if you were a first responder using an undercover fleet vehicle, the department would already have those lights installed. Having red or blue lights isn’t an option for civilians. There are other warning light options for consumers.
Tow Trucks
The law states that purple and amber lighting is legal for tow trucks. That’s something to keep in mind if you think you’ll ever need to tow another vehicle with your pickup.
Construction Vehicles
The laws surrounding the construction vehicle work lights can vary from state to state. Typically, there are certain restrictions, such as not using red lights.
This eliminates any possible confusion that the vehicle is related to law enforcement. Construction vehicles typically use flashing beacons, as this type of lighting is easy to see and designed to warn others of possible hazards.
Types of Safety Lights for Pickup Trucks
Some of the above may apply to you and your truck, especially in construction and commercial use cases. However, many consumers just like adding aftermarket lighting for that unique, custom look.
Are you looking to improve visibility in poor conditions or fit your truck with lights for your work? Or do you simply enjoy working to make your truck look as good as possible? Here are some of the most common types of safety lights you could add to your pickup truck:
Light Bars
Light bars and long strips of LED lights attach to the front of a pickup, usually just below the grill. They provide excellent visibility on highways at night, especially when it’s foggy. Consider LED warning lights if your area is experiences low visibility.
LED bulbs are the most reliable and provide the best visibility. Light bars usually have two beam patterns; spot or flood. Floodlighting illuminates a much broader view, while spotlighting is better for long-distance.
There are also mini light bar options to consider. A lot of 4×4 truck owners love these lights for night offroading, when high visibility is essential.
Light Pods
Light pods are a great way to add some additional powerful lighting to your pickup and are one of the easiest light modifications to fit.
They come in various sizes, shapes, and powers. People often choose them due to how versatile they are. You can fit them just about anywhere on your truck and direct the light how you want.
Fog Lights
If you drive in foggy conditions at any point in the year, attaching fog lights should be high on your list if you don’t already have some.
Fog lights are angled down and have a wide lens to illuminate the road. They enable you to see other oncoming vehicles and other objects in dense fog, an essential safety light in foggy conditions.
Strobe Beacons
Strobe beacons are flashing electric lamps commonly used by construction vehicles. They are used as a way of getting attention or warning others of possible hazards.
If you think you’ll find yourself in a situation where you need to alert other road users or pedestrians of a hazard, you should consider having a strobe beacon fitted.
Dash Lights
Dash lights are internal-fitted lights. They are a popular choice as they’re the simplest option for fitting and getting them operational.
Simply attach them to your dashboard or windows. They’ll fit just about anywhere inside your pickup, and you can have some high-intensity lighting as and when you need it.
Which Type of Lights Are Best for You?
Answering the question, “Which safety lights for trucks are best for you?” will come down to what conditions you face on the road and the lights that provide the best and safest solution. If you’re in a particular professional field, there are clear regulations set forth by your state.
Otherwise, it depends on what you want the lights for and how you want your truck to look.
If you’re still unsure after reading about the different types of lights available, we’re happy to discuss your options. Alternatively, you can Check out our FAQ page here, where we answer some of the most commonly asked questions.