LED Lights for Emergency Use

When it comes to driving and road safety, car lights play a vital role. This is why governments across the world have made it a legal requirement. For modern cars to have multiple lighting systems that serve individual purposes. From general illumination, to turn signal indication, and even emergency response. We as drivers have also become accustomed to relying on these visual cues. As an early-warning system to avoid accidents on the road.

The great thing about these car lights is that in 90% of cases, they are just a preventative measure. That gives you enough illumination to avoid road hazards. You go from point A to B and then forget about them. But, for the 10% of cases where you actually get into an accident. Regardless of whether or not it was your fault. These lighting systems can suddenly seem a bit inadequate. Since, short of the hazard light blinkers, there is no in-built way in a car to help give you a safety buffer against oncoming traffic, at night time. If you happen to break down in the middle of the road.

In these cases, you need special emergency lights that have been designed to be disruptive and extremely visible. So that oncoming cars can recognize the wreck from some distance away. Giving them ample reaction time to slow down, and make necessary evasive maneuvers. In addition to being visually disruptive, these emergency lights also need to be powerful enough. That you can maintain usable visibility for rescue crews. Even without any other sources of lighting available nearby.

Thankfully, even though emergency lights aren’t included in the standard kit for most cars these days. There are lots of options for aftermarket LED lights for emergency use. That you can get from reputed brands like OSRAM, to supplement your personal emergency kit. Let us take a look at a few of the options available. That will fit your particular needs and budget. While also helping you maintain visibility in all sorts of terrain and weather conditions.

LEDinspect Headlamp 300

One of the things that we always recommend to drivers is a good headlamp. When you are in a wreck and/or breakdown. The most important thing is to have a constant source of illumination for your own eyes. Which you can use to access the situation, while also maintaining personal safety. For the longest time, people relied on general flashlights to make this happen. In modern times, people just stick to the light produced by the flash of their smartphones.

While this may seem like a viable solution for the short term. It is still a single point of failure that can cause problems at any time. Not to mention that without a specific mounting position, these solutions also take away the use of one hand. Which can be a matter of life and death in emergency situations.

Therefore, you must always carry a proper headlamp that can give you hands-free illumination in all sorts of emergency situations. Whether it is a multi-car pileup on the highway or just a flat tire in the countryside. OSRAM has specifically designed a headlamp for these scenarios. Called the LEDinspect Headlamp 300.

It comes equipped with a durable 3W long-lasting LED light. That is fixed to a size adjustable headband made of tear-resistance fabric. The LED produces a bright white light that ranges in the 6500-7500K temperature range. For the best possible visibility in any lighting condition. This translates to a luminous flux of up to 300 lumens when operating at 100 % brightness.

There is also a low-intensity mode that lowers the brightness to just 60 lumens, or 20% brightness. In order to preserve battery life, for emergency cases where you need hours of usable light. Since the light is literally strapped to your head. You can even adjust the beam angle, up to 75%, for the best visibility for yourself. Or just push it up and out of your eyesight, and let the system run on a special flash mode that alerts oncoming cars to your position. If you have to resort to walking down the road for help.

To give you the same level of safety in both front and back, the headlamp also comes with a separate rear light. Which also flashes constantly, with a luminous flux of up to 300 lumens. The only difference is that the rear light is red in color, and can only go up to a 1000-2000K color temperature. Since you don’t need as much light behind your back, as you need upfront.

Both these lights run off of the integrated battery system. Which is powered by 3 AA dry batteries for universal reliability. With fully charged batteries, the system can run both lights at 100% brightness for up to 2-3 hours. If you reduce the front light to 20% brightness, this time limit can go up to as much as 10 hours. You even get a separate switch to shift between on/off and flash mode, for easy access.

That is the only thing accessible about the lights though. As they come with a special protective housing that helps keep them working even in adverse conditions. The light controller, battery, and rear light are integrated into a single housing that sits at the back of your head. While the front light has its own shock-resistant mount.

Both component cases are rated at IP64 for weather protection and IK07 for impact resistance. So, you don’t have to worry about dropping them either. Unlike a traditional flashlight, or your phone. The company is confident enough in this protection that they offer a 2-year guarantee on the product. Which makes it a no-brainer choice for most people out there.

LEDguardian Road Flare

One of the things that is true for any sort of emergency situation, is that you can never have enough light. Especially at night or in extreme weather conditions. When the difference between a few lumens can make up the difference between life and death. This is why we always recommend having a backup option, even when it comes to LED lights for emergency use.

While headlamps can give you enough light to inspect your immediate surroundings. They don’t have enough light to cover the entire area around your and your car. Since the product is specifically designed for individual use. In such situations, it is helpful if you have a proper road flare that can help light up the surroundings properly. Something that is more reliable than the traditional chemical-based flares. While also having the ability to be reused whenever needed, without replacement with each use.

The LEDguardian ROAD FLARE from OSRAM is one such offering. It is a compact LED warning system that is perfect for emergency situations on the road. It has been specifically designed with hazardous conditions in mind. This is why it comes with a super tough housing that is not just dirt-resistant. But can also withstand being run over by a car. The housing is shaped like a hockey puck, with multiple spokes of high-quality plastic wrapped around the surface for optimal protection.

There are special gaps between each plastic spoke, which house multiple LED lights that wrap around the surface for 360°-degree illumination. There are even bigger lights in the center housing on both sides. Completing a full array of 16 long-lasting LEDs that can be used individually or together. You get three modes of operation: flashing, permanently on, or torch mode. Each of which uses individual LEDs in a specific pattern for the best possible lighting.

There is even a passive warning system, which switches the white light to orange. So, the system can act as a hazard flare for long hours, without consuming too much energy. The flare comes with a special metal clip, which can be used to hang it from your waist, or any hook available on the car. You can even throw it on the roof of your vehicle, and its anti-slip texture will help keep it in place until help arrives.

As you can see, it is a pretty versatile system, that can deliver long-lasting use. With the help of 3 AAA dry batteries, which are also included with the package. Making it a must-have LED light for emergency use.

LEDguardian Road Flare Signal V16

Up until now, we have only covered scenarios where you need to get out of your vehicle to inspect any possible damage to your vehicle, in emergency situations. But what happens when the emergency is too severe to be handled by any one person alone. And you need to stay with the vehicle until help arrives. What if the wreck happens on a busy highway, and you don’t even have the option to drag the vehicle to the side of the road?

These are some of the most dangerous situations that you can find yourself in. As the chances of a car coming at high-speed, rear-ending your already damaged vehicle are pretty high in these conditions. This is something that contributes to dozens of multiple-car pileups all over the world. Leading to loss of life and property that could easily be avoided with a proper collision warning system. Designed specifically for such extreme use cases.

We are talking about systems like the LEDguardian Road Flare Signal V16 from OSRAM. Which are so much more reliable in emergency situations. When compared to traditional emergency equipment, like your hazard lights or a warning triangle with some reflective tape.

As the name suggests, the LEDguarding Road Flare is a warning light that has been approved for road-use, in accordance with the V16 regulations enacted by the EU. Which makes it a world-class warning light that has been tested and validated to match the DIN EN ISO/IEC 17025 certification as well. These tests are conducted in a certified environmental simulation laboratory. For extreme external influences in terms of water, dust, heat, cold, and impacts from falls.

All this to say that this road flare can work in any weather conditions. With a guarantee of 2 years offered by the company itself. The system itself is pretty simple. The road flare has been designed like a light beacon, which features 12 high-power LEDs. They offer a combined output of up to 140 lumens, at 2000k color temperature. Since it is an emergency system, the lights are placed in a yellow-orange housing which offers 360°-degree rotation for better visibility.

The base is magnetic, so you can easily attach it to the roof of any vehicle. It also features the battery housing for the light, which uses a 9V battery that is included with the package. There are more expensive models that also offer the option for external charging. But we are sticking to this one only. As it offers a more hassle-free experience, which doesn’t require a power socket to function. You certainly don’t need other options, as this single battery alone is enough to light up the beacon for up to 12 hours non-stop. Thus, making it a perfect LED light for emergency use of any sort.

With these individual systems, you get lots of options to ensure that your driving experience remains safe and free from accidents. Even if the car itself breaks down. These become especially invaluable in places where rain and fog are a regular occurrence. As these are the conditions when traditional car lights are at their weakest. So, we would certainly recommend that you have at least one, if not all three of these options in your emergency kit, just in case you might need them.