Flashing Blue Lights to Calm You Down

[Mulboyne]

[floatl][/floatl]Asahi: Flashing blue lights OK'd in crime-prevention initiative
Civilian patrol cars have been given the green light to use blue flashers on their vehicles during crime-prevention initiatives. Until now, the only rotating lights allowed on vehicles were red flashers for emergency vehicles such as fire engines and yellow flashers for traffic control motorcycles and the like. But that will soon change following a revision to the Road Trucking Vehicle Law initiated by the National Police Agency (NPA) that took effect Dec. 1. Prompted by a heightened public fear of crime, and seen as a way to implement more voluntary crime-prevention activities, the NPA has approved the blue lights for civilian patrols by nonprofit organizations (NPOs). The blue-light flashing is limited to voluntary patrols, and groups must jump through a few hoops first. NPOs apply by submitting activity outlines and registering their patrol vehicles with the local police. The OK'd patrol cars must display specific emblems issued by the police.
..."Citizens are becoming more nervous. They are making more 110 emergency calls, while statistics prove that there isn't that much of an actual surge in crime cases," said Mikio Kawai, professor of law sociology at the Toin University of Yokohama. "The immediate effect of blue-light patrol cars hitting the streets will be in resolving people's fears. Don't pin too much hope on the blue lights preventing crime."

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Flashing lights give criminals blues

Cars with blue flashing lights that local governments and crime prevention volunteers use to patrol local communities are increasing across the country--and helping to cut crime. According to the National Police Agency, 4,129 such cars, known as "blue patrol cars," were on the streets at the end of 2005, but this figure more than tripled to 13,141 at the end of the next year. In some areas, the crime incidence rate decreased by more than 20 percent during the period. The agency believes blue patrol cars have contributed greatly to the decline in crime and it plans to strengthen cooperation with local governments and crime prevention volunteers...more...

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Blue light may prevent suicide

Blue streetlights are believed to be useful in preventing suicides and street crime, a finding that is encouraging an increasing number of railway companies to install blue light-emitting apparatuses at stations to prevent people from committing suicide by jumping in front of trains. Although experts are split over the effectiveness of the blue lights, railway companies that have installed the lighting say they have played a role in preventing suicides. Glasgow introduced blue streetlighting to improve the city's landscape in 2000. Afterward, the number of crimes in areas illuminated in blue noticeably decreased. The Nara prefectural police set up blue street lights in the prefecture in 2005, and found the number of crimes decreased by about 9 percent in blue-illuminated neighborhoods. Many other areas nationwide have followed suit. Keihin Electric Express Railway Co. changed the color of eight lights on the ends of platforms at Gumyoji Station in Minami Ward, Yokohama, in February. In January, a person jumped in front of a train from a deserted end of the station platform on two consecutive days. According to the company, a few people attempt to commit suicide every year at the station. A company employee in charge of train safety operations said, "We introduced the blue lights as part of our efforts to try do all we can to prevent suicide." Since the blue lighting was introduced, no suicide attempts have been made at the station.

Central Japan Railway Co. has set up blue lights at 10 railway crossings in Aichi, Gifu and Mie prefectures since August to find out whether they work in preventing suicide. East Japan Railway Co. and Kyushu Railway Co. also are discussing the introduction of blue lighting. West Japan Railway Co. was the first railway company to introduce blue lighting at its facilities. The company was concerned by cars attempting to traverse railway crossings despite the approach of trains. Since December 2006, JR West has set up blue lighting at 38 crossings along lines, including the Hanwa Line connecting Osaka and Wakayama prefectures. Since the installation, no accidents involving a car ramming into a train at crossings have occurred, and no one has committed suicide at the sites. According to the Construction and Transport Ministry, 640 suicides and suicide attempts involving the jumping in front of trains occurred in fiscal 2007, about a 20 percent increase from the previous year. According to railway companies, suicides often occur at night. A JR West spokesman said, "We're confident that blue lighting is effective to a certain extent in preventing suicide."

Blue illumination is used for other purposes than preventing crimes and suicides. A total of 152 blue lights were introduced along an 1.8-kilometer stretch of the Tomei Expressway near the Tokyo interchange in 2001 to try to prevent accidents. A spokesman of Central Nippon Expressway Co. said, "[The illumination was introduced] as part of our efforts to encourage people to drive safely by instinctively and emotionally appealing to them to calm down." According to the expressway operator, after blue-colored lighting was installed near trash cans at the Yoro rest area of the Meishin Expressway in Yorocho, Gifu Prefecture, the volume of domestic garbage brought in by visitors decreased by more than 20 percent. Prof. Tsuneo Suzuki at Keio University said: "There are a number of pieces of data that indicate blue has a calming effect upon people. However, it's an unusual color for lighting, so people may just feel like avoiding standing out by committing crimes or suicide under such unusual illumination. It's a little risky to believe that the color of lighting can prevent anything."

[omae mona]

These blue lights do prevent one thing for sure: sleep. We have one of these stupid blue-light "neighborhood safety" volunteer patrol cars go down our street virtually every night, driving approximately 2 km/h. The flashing lights are so bright that if there's even the slightest crack between my curtains and the window, the room is illuminated and I wake up. Then I can't fall back asleep because of the acoustic onslaught from the homeless guys rummaging through tin cans in the trash, drunk couples arguing with each other at the top of their lungs on their way home, and bosozoku driving by with specially installed loud pipes on their motorcycles. Clearly the patrol car has instilled great fear into our neighborhood troublemakers; they don't show up until at least a minute after the patrol car drives by.

Well I guess the patrol car may have one good effect: I can't say I've witnessed any suicides on the street while the car is driving by. Perhaps there is something to this theory.

[Taro Toporific]

....We have one of these stupid blue-light "neighborhood safety" volunteer patrol cars go down our street ....

Are you sure it's not a PR campaign for this Blue Light Special?

[omae mona]

Are you sure it's not a PR campaign for this Blue Light Special?

On second thought, next time the blinking lights wake me up, I think I'll run outside and knock on the window to see who's in the car!!

[Mulboyne]

Yomiuri: Blue light may prevent suicide

And here is one on the platform at Hatcho-nawate station near Kawasaki.

[Mike Oxlong]

This light has the opposite effect on me...

[Greji]

This light has the opposite effect on me...

It has the opposite effect on me.......NSFW, depending on your office

[Mike Oxlong]

It has the opposite effect on me.......NSFW, depending on your office

Take away the flashing flashing, keep in blue...and yer in for the win!