Photo: Iowa DOT
(Ames, IA) -- The Iowa Department of Transportation is researching some possible LED lighting changes on its trucks and plows. Tina Greenfield of the DOT maintenance office says the idea is to allow DOT drivers to see and be seen by others. The DOT says there are dozens of accidents each year, in which a driver hits a big orange DOT truck from behind. Current research is aimed at helping drivers better see trucks, especially at times visibility is lower, such as during a snow storm.
“Last year we were able to outfit our smaller fleet of pick-ups with additional LED lighting to help them be more visible. The results of that have been very positive, so we’re now turning our efforts to the fleet of larger trucks,” said Greenfield. The DOT is testing two new lighting strategies, including using a brighter LED light bar or replacing the center light with two lights, one on each side of the truck.
The DOT is also researching improvements to windshield wipers. One system has a motor which would shake ice and snow off wiper blades. Another includes a heating element in the blades to help cut thru freezing precipitation. A third idea is using a system to heat deicing fluid so when it squirts onto a windshield it will more easily melt ice and snow.