The Indiana Department of Transportation announced a new work zone initiative to increase worker safety called Project Greenlight. This program will equip highway workers with Guardian Angel safety lights, to help bring awareness to workers in times of limited visibility.
Guardian Angel safety lights are wearable devices with flashing green patterns that increase worker visibility from all directions. When worn with a high visibility vest, these lights help workers become 89 percent more visible to the traveling public according to a study from Battelle Memorial Institute.
Bright green is the most visible color to the human eye and is the most visible from longer distances. The color green is also easily distinguishable from the rest of INDOT’s standard work zone lighting.
INDOT began piloting the green safety lights in fall 2025 within the three Hoosier Helper patrol areas – Northwest Indiana near Gary, Indianapolis metropolitan area, and Southeast Indiana near Louisville – and within highway maintenance crews in the Indianapolis Subdistrict and various crews throughout the state.
As the program moves forward, approximately 375 lights will be distributed across the state, starting with the INDOT Northwest District. INDOT Highway Technicians and Hoosier Helpers are encouraged to use the green lights during nighttime operations, as well as during times of inclement weather like fog, rain, or snow, when visibility might be lower.
Green safety lights were brought to INDOT through its Innovation and Process Improvement Division. An annual competition is held for INDOT employees to submit innovative ideas that make jobs safer, more efficient and more effective. Those ideas are then voted on internally and implemented throughout the agency.
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