'Battenburg' markings, in the original colours, designed by the UK's Police Scientific Development Board in order to maximise the conspicuity of police vehicles in both daylight and nighttime use

Scottish Ambulance Service paramedic vehicle with full Battenburg colour scheme and rear hazard warning panel

Battenburg refers to a pattern of high-visibility markings used to maximise conspicuity, originally on vehicles, but since used in a variety of other applications such as uniforms. It is primarily used by the emergency services, having been first developed for the United Kingdom police forces to use on traffic patrol cars, although other private organisations and civil emergency services have since started to use the pattern on their vehicles. Lyons Battenberg Cake Scottish Ambulance Service paramedic vehicle with high visibility battenberg colour scheme Battenberg cake (also: Battenburg cake, Liam Wilson) is a light sponge cake which, when cut in cross section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 437 pixelsFull resolution (1264 × 691 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scottish Ambulance Service paramedic vehicle with high visibility battenberg green and yellow colour scheme. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 437 pixelsFull resolution (1264 × 691 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Scottish Ambulance Service paramedic vehicle with high visibility battenberg green and yellow colour scheme. ... Emergency services are public services that deal with emergencies and other aspects of Public Safety. ... A police officer in the style of uniform typically used in England and Wales, the traditional helmet is no longer used in Northern Ireland and Scotland. ...

The widespread recognition of the pattern in the United Kingdom, has led to the uniform version of the police battenburg (white and blue) becoming strongly linked with all police activities, and is often used as a visual cue on police literature, signage, and in television programming.

History

A police officer in a uniform utilising the blue and white battenburg markings now common throughout the United Kingdom

Battenburg markings were originally developed by the Police Scientific Development Board (PDSB) at the request of the National motorway policing sub-committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers. The brief was to create a livery for motorway and trunk road police vehicles which would maximise the visibility of the vehicles when stopped on scene, both in daylight, and under headlights from a minimum distance of 500m, and which would distinctively mark it as a police car.^[1], Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (411 × 616 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) British police officer wearing a Custodian helmet I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 400 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (411 × 616 pixel, file size: 48 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) British police officer wearing a Custodian helmet I, the copyright holder of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) is the lead organisation for developing police policy in the United Kingdom (except Scotland). ...

The key research objectives included:

• "Enhance officer and public safety by reducing the likelihood of road accidents where conspicuity of the police vehicle is a factor"
• "Be recognisable as a police vehicle up to a distance of 500 metres in normal daylight"
• "Assist in high visibility policing so as to reassure the public and enhance the potential deterrent benefits of proactive traffic patrol activity"

The research showed the human eye is most sensitive to blue/green shades at night and yellow/green in daylight. The battenburg design typically comprises 2 or more rows of alternating retroreflective squares or blocks, usually starting with yellow at the top, then the alternating colour, along the sides of a vehicle. The battenburg livery is not used on the rear of vehicles, with the majority of users using upward facing chevrons in yellow and red to the rear, in line with the markings used by other road users. Whilst most cars use only 2 rows in the design, larger vehicles can be marked with more rows[1][2]. Retroreflectors are clearly visible in a pair of bicycle shoes. ...

Following their launch, the similarity to the pattern of battenburg cake was noticed, and the name was soon regularly applied to the high conspicuity design. Battenburg cake is a light sponge cake which, when cut in cross-section, displays a distinctive two-by-two check pattern alternately coloured pink and yellow. ...

Usage

Common battenburg markings used in the United Kingdom

In the United Kingdom, the majority of the emergency services have adopted the battenburg style of markings, with nearly half of all police forces adopting the markings within three years of its introduction, and over three quarters using it by 2003.^[1]

In 2004, following the widespread adoption and recognition of the battenburg markings on police vehicles, the Home Office subsequently recommended that all police vehicles, not just those on traffic duty, be marked up with a 'half-battenburg' livery which formalised a position which had already been undertaken by a number of forces.

In the United Kingdom, the emergency services have chosen or been given certain colours which identify them, with the Police continuing to use the blue, whereas ambulances tend to use green and the fire service use red.

The use of these colours in retro-reflective material is controlled by the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations 1989, with civilian vehicles only legally able to use yellow retroreflective material.^[2] However, a number of civilian organisations have adopted the pattern, which is not legally protected, and a number of these also use other retro-reflective colours.

An alternative to the use of retro reflective materials is the use of fluorescent markings, or other non-reflective markings, which can be used by any vehicle, regardless of ownership or purpose.

References

External links

• The Home Office Scientific Development Branch website
• High Conspicuity Livery for Police Cars 14-04
• High Conspicuity Livery for Police Motorcycles 47-06