Editing Beacon (section)

== On vehicles ==
{{Main|Emergency vehicle lighting}}
[[File:Beacon positions.jpg|thumb|Beacon positions on police car]]

Vehicular beacons are rotating or flashing lights affixed to the top of a vehicle to attract the attention of surrounding vehicles and pedestrians. [[Emergency vehicle]]s such as fire engines, ambulances, police cars, tow trucks, construction vehicles, and snow-removal vehicles carry beacon lights.

The color of the lamps varies by jurisdiction; typical colors are blue and/or red for police, fire, and medical-emergency vehicles; amber for hazards (slow-moving vehicles, wide loads, tow trucks, security personnel, construction vehicles, etc.); green for volunteer firefighters or for medical personnel, and violet for funerary vehicles. Beacons may be constructed with [[Automotive lamp types|halogen bulbs]] similar to those used in vehicle [[headlamp]]s, xenon [[flashtube]]s, or [[light-emitting diode|LEDs]].<ref>{{cite journal
 |title=Evaluation of Light-Emitting Diode Beacon Light Fixtures 
 |journal=Lighting Research Center – Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 
 |date=December 2009 
 |first=John 
 |last=Bullough 
 |author2=Nicholas P Skinner 
 |url=https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/LRCBeaconReport.pdf 
 |access-date=2010-06-05 
 |url-status=dead 
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130729142629/https://www.dot.ny.gov/divisions/engineering/technical-services/trans-r-and-d-repository/LRCBeaconReport.pdf 
 |archive-date=2013-07-29 
}}</ref> Incandescent and xenon light sources require the vehicle's engine to continue running to ensure that the battery is not depleted when the lights are used for a prolonged period. The low power consumption of LEDs allows the vehicle's engine to remain turned off while the lights operate.