# White strobe lights on school busses - Reason? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 13, 2002, 5:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445 "2002-12-13T05:08:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/21 "2012-02-01T00:31:31Z")
I don’t know about other states, but in the Carolinas, the strobe is much faster than just once per second, and it gives you some warning that a significant traffic hazard is ahead, doing no more than 45 MPH on a 65 MPH freeway. I’m not sure why they’re even allowed on e freeway - anyone else going that far under the limit would be cited. ---
**Author:** ![md2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/73ab20/32.png) [@md2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md2000)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/22 "2012-02-01T00:50:29Z")
I started seeing these in Canada about 10 years ago too. I like to tell the kids who ride them that the light is turned on for added safety when there’s at least one retarded - um, mentally challenged - person riding the bus. (Or driving it) ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/23 "2012-02-01T01:03:20Z")
> [@Lukeinva](#): > > Interestingly… a bus is a mass transportation vehicle, whereas buss means kiss. So… school busses mean school kisses. The plural is buses. I though the plural was ‘bi’. Also, are these flashing strobes, or the fluttering type that only change intensity instead of going fully off? ---
**Author:** ![Gagundathar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a183cd/32.png) [@Gagundathar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gagundathar)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/24 "2012-02-01T01:03:56Z")
Since this is a zombie thread revived recently by others, I thought I’d chime in to say this is a common practice here in Georgia. Both the white roof (for cooling purposes) and the strobe (actually a really slow strobe, more of a flashing white light) to alert people at a distance that HERE COME THE KIDS. It is still a bit weird when I am driving out from home and see this flashing light coming from the distance. But, it does alert me not to violently lurch over and collide with the oncoming giant machine. ---
**Author:** ![WarmNPrickly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d78d45/32.png) [@WarmNPrickly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WarmNPrickly)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/25 "2012-02-01T03:02:48Z")
I’m going to have to disagree with our friend **GFREE**. I’ll bet those lights have prevented far more accidents than they have caused. In fact, I would like to see just one example of those little blinking lights actually causing an accident. On foggy days, those lights make buses visible, particularly in rural areas like where I live. ---
**Author:** ![Av8trix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/90db22/32.png) [@Av8trix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Av8trix)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/26 "2012-02-01T03:44:16Z")
Oh what the heck. I’ll jump in on the zombie too. I went to school in Fl for my entire school career. I remember the strobes showing up on the new buses somewhere around the late 80’s early 90’s, maybe? I remember inquiring what the deal was with them and was told that they were now required because of some bad crash in poor visibility. ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/27 "2012-02-01T08:46:02Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I don’t know about other states, but in the Carolinas, the strobe is much faster than just once per second, and it gives you some warning that a significant traffic hazard is ahead, doing no more than 45 MPH on a 65 MPH freeway. They do move incredibly slower than the rest of traffic in North Carolina. I was told that there was a fatal school bus crash on the interstate that was attributed to speed, so they have been required to stay below 50mph since then. Interstate speed is generally 65mph, which makes them much more likely to cause a collision than if they were moving at the speed of traffic. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 10:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/28 "2012-02-01T10:26:03Z")
> [@GFREE](#): > > Folks, these strobes are far more dangerous than they are good. As a pilot, one must turn off strobes in fog, rain, snow due to vertigo. This is false. The strobes _may_ be turned off if the pilot thinks it is safer than leaving them on. There is no requirement to turn them off in low vis. You seem to base the rest of your argument on this bit of misinformation. ---
**Author:** ![Orionizer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orionizer/32/4442_2.png) [@Orionizer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Orionizer)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/29 "2012-02-01T12:43:32Z")
I used to work at Thomas Built Buses and can verify the white roof is for cooling the bus in warmer environments. When I worked there, I don’t recall the strobes as an option (worked there from 1988 - 1992), though I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2012, 4:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445/30 "2012-02-02T04:29:53Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > I don’t know about other states, but in the Carolinas, the strobe is much faster than just once per second, and it gives you some warning that a significant traffic hazard is ahead, doing no more than 45 MPH on a 65 MPH freeway. > > I’m not sure why they’re even allowed on e freeway - anyone else going that far under the limit would be cited. Word. Exasperating. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/white-strobe-lights-on-school-busses-reason/142445.md?page=1)