State Police Warn About Flashing Lights on on Roadways

If you're driving down the road in New York and see flashing lights, it may not be what it appears to be.

The New York State Police is warning motorists to watch out for flashing yellow lights on the Thruway and other major roads that crisis-cross through the Empire State. In a post on it's Facebook page, police say the lights can be confusing to motorists who may think the lights are a crash or a checkpoint.

In many instances, the lights will appear on large, slow-moving vehicles surrounded by several troopers. Because so many motorists are unsure what is going on and whether they can pass, troopers are attempting to educate drivers on what to do if they encounter these flashing lights.

The New York State Police's post begins with a typical scenario you may encounter driving on a local road.

As you’re driving along a road.. you see flashing lights. Is it a crash? A checkpoint? Nope, it’s moving and there is a very large vehicle with a large item, trucks with yellow lights and several Troopers.

 

The source of these lights could very well be an extremely oversized load on the roadway. Recently there have been several of these enormous caravans traveling through New York that can take up more than one lane of traffic, and even extend out into the opposite lane of travel.

According to police, these huge loads may travel at normal speeds and then suddenly slow down to safely pass under bridges or around sharp turns. Those traveling in the opposite direction of these loads may even need to move all the way over to the right to avoid hitting them because they are too large to fit in one lane.

Police say that motorists that encounter these oversized vehicles can pass them if it's safe. Even so, some drivers may be wary of driving next to one of these enormous caravans. In those cases, police ask drivers to remain behind escort vehicles or police and use patience.

Troopers shared photos of a windmill blade that recently traveled through three New York Counties.

State police are stressing the importance of staying vigilant and driving safely, especially when encountering oversized loads on the roadway.