Officials Look At Green Lights For Michigan Snow Plows

GRAND RAPIDS (WWJ/AP) - Will this help encourage drivers not to "crowd the plow"?

Officials in western Michigan are testing green emergency lights for possible use on snow plows as part of an effort to cut down on crashes involving the vehicles.

Jerry Byrne, the Kent County Road Commission's director of maintenance, says the lights could help increase visibility of snow plows on the road. About six snow plows are rear-ended each year in Kent County alone.

"We're going 30 and they're doing 60, and they either run into the back of a snow removal truck, (or) panic, hit the breaks and then slide off or cause another wreck," Byrne told WOOD-TV.

Kent County is currently testing out green lights on one of its pickup trucks. The lights, which run about  $300 to $400 per truck, flash and then change colors to grab drivers' attention and make it clear a slow-moving vehicle is ahead.

Snow plows with green lights have been pioneered in other parts of the country. Ohio started using green lights in recent years, for example. Ohio Department of Transportation spokeswoman Melissa Ayers says officials "have found them to be valuable."

"The lights are very bright and I think they've made a big difference on the roads," she said.

Widespread use of the lights in Michigan would require a change in state law because such lights currently are prohibited. It likely would be next winter at the earliest before they move beyond the testing phase.

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