Emergency Road Safety Flares
Although traditional road flares are extremely effective and affordable, they’re also quite dangerous. Aside from the fact that it’s easy to burn your hand just lighting one, they’ve been known to roll around in windy weather and ignite leaking gasoline at accident sites. That’s hardly the kind of “safety” flare I want in my car.
Luckily, manufacturers have come up with a variety of safer solutions using LED technology. Below, we’ve gathered a few of our favorites.
3-in-1 Emergency Flare
Price: $19.95
The 3-in-1 Emergency Flare serves as both a flare and a flashlight (though, to be honest, we’re not sure what the 3rd function is), offering up to one-mile visibility. To use it, you just pull the legs out from the handle and flip it over to create a stand for added stability.
This particular road flare uses 2 C batteries which are not included.
Pros:
- Spark-free.
- Built-in flashlight.
- Good visibility.
Cons:
- We don’t know how stable the stand actually is.
- If you use the flashlight feature, you’ll go through batteries more quickly. Extra care should be used to make sure that you always have fresh batteries for the flare.
Where to Buy:
The Flameless Flare
Price: $6.95
The Flameless Flare maintains the size and shape of traditional road flares, but instead of a flame, it uses LED light to draw attention to you or your vehicle from as far away as 1000 feet.
They’ve further altered the traditional flare experience by putting a magnet at the base. Instead of tossing it on the ground, you could actually stick one (or more than one) to the side of your car or the top of your trunk in an emergency.
The site suggests using the Flameless Flare as a map light in the car to avoid disrupting night vision, but it might also be handy if you needed to walk for help. Carrying a flare or two would definitely increase your visibility as you walked alongside the road.
Pros:
- Affordable.
- Multi-functional (map light, magnetic hazard light, flare, night visibility aid)
- Spark-free.
- Magnetic base.
Cons:
- Not as bright as a traditional flare.
Where to Buy:
FlareAlert Magnetic LED Safety Flare
Price: $12.95
The FlareAlert Safety Flare combines good features from both the 3-in-1 Safety Flare and the Flameless Flare. Like the 3-in-1 Flare, it offers 360 degree visibility. It also offers a magnetic base like the Flameless Flare.
The FlareAlert requires 2 AA batteries that are not included, and its visibility range is in excess of one mile.
Pros:
- Long-range visibility
- Magnetic base.
- Again, no flame here.
- 360-degree visibility.
Cons:
- Not as multi-purpose as some of the other safety flares.
Where to Buy:
