Road users have been urged to understand what a flashing purple light on the road means to avoid “scary” situations with wide load vehicles.
Amber and purple flashing lights on New Zealand’s roads are for a pilot vehicle escorting a load over 5m wide, something certified load pilot Raquel Wheatley told the Heraldmany road users weren’t aware of.
“If you see purple lights coming towards you, that could be a house coming, it could be machinery, it could be a wind farm component,” Wheatley said.
“It’s scary seeing how many drivers drive straight past purple lights, oblivious, even when we’re trying to do our job.
“And it can take their life or it can damage the load or their car. So, it’s a really scary thing that a lot of people don’t know.”
She said in one incident she had seen, a car went underneath a truck with the lights, which happened near Massey University in Palmerston North.
“We’re turning in and we had [the car] stopped so we’re like, ‘Sweet, we’ve got this car on the side of the road,’ and then it drove underneath a load, squeezed through the bridge, which, if they were in a ute, would have just taken the whole top of their car off.”
Wheatley’s advice for anyone who comes across the purple and amber lights was simple.
“Slow down, pull over and find a nice open area,” she said.
“Pull off into there, especially with the purple lights, and get well off the road, not just slightly off the road.
“I’ve seen it with houses where they’ve had to tilt over cars that have stopped in really bad positions.
“Get off the road if you’re being asked or just stop for the pilot. We want to get you home safe.”
However, Wheatley hopes to make drivers aware of where an oversized load might be with a new app she’s helped develop, called Haulr.
“The driver of a house being moved, or a pilot moving an oversized load, will be able to lodge themselves on the app and then anyone that downloads the app will be able to see exactly [where the transporter is],” she said.
Wheatley hopes it will give motorists more awareness about when and where to pull over and stay safe.
This warning follows Hutt Hospital equipping doctors’ vehicles with green emergency lights, because Lower Hutt traffic problems threaten their chances of reaching patients in emergencies.
A green flashing light is a provision allowed under the New Zealand road code for doctors, nurses or midwives heading to an emergency or travelling on urgent medical business.
The beacons were rolled out to anaesthetists, intensivists and obstetricians working at Hutt Hospital, in combination with signs that read “DOCTOR”.