I am a Hatzalah responder for around a decade now. I can try to give you a few answers.
Firstly, the reason most of us buy LED lights now is the same exact reason every NYPD, FDNY and EMS vehicle is now using LED lights. They draw less power and the bulbs can last more than 10 years. That beats having to worry about dead batteries from the electricity draining out, and it beats constantly ordering replacement bulbs. Those of us who take a lot of calls used to deal with those issues fairly often. LEDs have been a blessing in that sense.
According to State law, as emergency vehicles we must have lights that are visible from 360 degrees. The old image in your mind of a guy with a light on his dashboard is unacceptable by today’s standards. If that’s all he has and he has an accident, he will be liable for all damages as a dashlight is not visible from all sides.
Some of us respond to calls that require us to cross very busy intersections (Ocean Parkway, Queens Blvd etc). Add on to that the fact that half of drivers out there are busy texting, eating, changing channels, reading, or who knows what, WHILE DRIVING and the lights and sirens save the lives of our responders.
Is there abuse? I’m sure there is. That’s something the organization should deal with. The real abusers are people who install lights in their car for no apparent reason. There are plenty of those. Some of them show up on our calls for reasons I will never understand.
Every current Hatzalah member has now attended a course called CEVO which teaches safe driving in emergency situations. The random strange people with lights have not taken those courses and frankly they are a hazard to all of us.
I don’t think worrying about how many or what type of lights legitimate Hatzalah members have is as important as worrying about why dozens of young men in our communities are purchasing these lights for no reason, without any need, and are putting themselves and the rest of us at risk.
To anyone who is not a member of an organization that requires such lights, PLEASE don’t install them. C”V one day our luck might run out and someone can get killed due to your actions. Please think of others too.