Why don't brake lights show how hard you stop?

[edwardh1]

why don't they show in some way, the difference between I am resting my foot on the pedal and I am mashing down for a medium to hard stop?

seems something like that would really help reduce rear end collisions. with all the electronics on new cars seems it could be done.

 

[eljefino]

They do in europe; they turn on the hazards when it's real bad.

 

[Astro14]

In the 80s, several companies built flashing brake lights that increased their rate of flashing with increased deceleration.

I, too, think they would be very useful. I don't know what prevented their adoption...

 

[spk2000]

Great idea now patent it and retire.

I would recommend a light bar across the top in rear window that light more bulbs as you brake harder. Make it LED and sell it on Ebay.

 

[MrQuackers]

That would be great if the car had a warning light for following drivers that automatically engaged when the vehicle decelerated at x factor. Engine braking does not trigger the brake lights.

 

[Falken]

I don't think they are a good idea at all.

It just encourages tailgating. People would feel more comfortable driving closer to you, and would cause more pileups.

The tailgating in Montreal is getting really bad.

I get tailgated in the slow lane going faster than people in the fast lane sometimes.

If I am stopping I want to maintain space in front of me, I don't want someone creeping up on my rear with a "slowing" light.

People would say, "oh, you were sloooowing, not stopping, you then jammed on the brakes with no warning..."

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: edwardh1
why don't they show in some way, the difference between I am resting my foot on the pedal and I am mashing down for a medium to hard stop?

seems something like that would really help reduce rear end collisions. with all the electronics on new cars seems it could be done.


I've never had a single issue putting plenty of space ahead of me, and looking ahead of the car(s) in front of me. It gives me plenty of time to react to something that might cause the vehicle ahead to brake hard.

No special lights or doo-dads. Just a little common sense.

 

[19jacobob93]

I remember as a young kid back in the UK I was driving with my uncle in his A4 and he had to slam on the brakes and when the ABS was triggered hard the car vibrated and the hazards came on.
But yeah I've always wondered what it would be like if the brake lights got brighter the harder you hit the pedal. Would tell the person behind how hard they need to brake

 

[Nick1994]

People's lights hardly work now as it is, we don't need anything complicated. Seems like 1/3 of the cars out on the road either have a burned out headlight or brake light. Sometimes both brake lights, even cars only a couple years old! Older cars seem to have bulbs that last forever.

 

[PeteTheFarmer]

Originally Posted By: Astro14
In the 80s, several companies built flashing brake lights that increased their rate of flashing with increased deceleration.


I seem to remember a product named CyberLight that worked like that

Quote:
I, too, think they would be very useful. I don't know what prevented their adoption...


I don't have a strong opinion on their effectiveness, but I'm sure some people would see it as more dumb laws from the nanny state.

 

[Smokescreen]

You would have to find a way to make all tail lamps uniform in intensity across all vehicles in order for it to work. I like the idea of hazzards on with heavy braking...it should be hear yesterday.

 

[turtlevette]

Cars are going to be wirelessly networked and the car in front will communicate with the next car back to tell it its stopping. Then your car will apply the brakes for you.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
People's lights hardly work now as it is, we don't need anything complicated. Seems like 1/3 of the cars out on the road either have a burned out headlight or brake light. Sometimes both brake lights, even cars only a couple years old! Older cars seem to have bulbs that last forever.


This is true.

Down here in the land of NO state inspections of any kind, burnt out bulbs are common. The police don't seem to care unless the bad light gives them a means to pull over a car that has gotten their interest in some other way. Lots of cars down here have nothing but a partially working high mount brake light.

I think some sort of "active" brake light system could have benefits, but I would also wonder about how much cost/complexity it would add (maybe not much, but OEMs can find a way to make it complicated), or if some sort of undesireable driving behavior might result with the absent minded/"I drive how I want to" crowd.

The biggest issue with the electrical systems in modern cars burning through bulbs is that now a lot of bulbs are so buried in the car that it takes pulling back the bumper cover or some other ridiculous procedure to change them. In those situations, I'd be worried about an active brake lamp system being harder on the bulbs. Lots of cars are going to LED, but those go bad sometimes too. I see a fair number of malfunctioning LED lights, or ones where only a few of the diodes are working.

 

[bdcardinal]

There is a kit out there to effectively strobe the 3rd brake light. Some company talked our General Manager into buying them and putting them on all the new Mazdas on our lot. I warned them that it wasn't quite legal yet. One of my police officer friends saw a car with the kit installed and if he had been on duty, he would have pulled them over for malfunctioning equipment.

Also with LED lamp assemblies pretty much standard, I can't see how flashing them repeatedly would do anything but shorten the lifespan.

 

[hotwheels]

Originally Posted By: spk2000
Great idea now patent it and retire.

I would recommend a light bar across the top in rear window that light more bulbs as you brake harder. Make it LED and sell it on Ebay.


In more progressive markets, which also don't have confusing red blinkers, at least Mercedes offers an adaptive brake light system that adds flashing under hard braking. Also, see patent linked below.

hotwheels

http://www.google.com/patents/US7357539

 

[brandini]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
There is a kit out there to effectively strobe the 3rd brake light. Some company talked our General Manager into buying them and putting them on all the new Mazdas on our lot. I warned them that it wasn't quite legal yet. One of my police officer friends saw a car with the kit installed and if he had been on duty, he would have pulled them over for malfunctioning equipment.

Also with LED lamp assemblies pretty much standard, I can't see how flashing them repeatedly would do anything but shorten the lifespan.

LEDs don't really care about on-off since they're solid state. It's pure run-time that kills them... and generally the vibration of automotive use on tiny parts.

 

[oliveoil]

Why don't we have front brake lights?

 

[Ryan]

Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Cars are going to be wirelessly networked and the car in front will communicate with the next car back to tell it its stopping. Then your car will apply the brakes for you.



Forward collision might help for the time being.

 

[Quest]

I strongly believe in either "go" or "no-go" situation when it comes to brake lights, period.

Don't come along giving me "gradual braking" light for I bet ya over 99% of the old folks, drivers with eyesight issues and/or young, inexperienced drivers would have a hard time gauging the "braking" distance if the brake light means "gradual/gentle" braking.

More accidents happened that way.

Also: the "go" and "no-go" style (or in digital terms: "on" or "off") will serve the public drivers well, esp. those who cannot gauge their tailgating distance from the front will definitely learn their lesson well.

Q.

 

[skyactiv]

I used VCDS on my VW GTI to enable the hazard lights to blink during a panic stop. I've only had them blink once. VCDS gives the option for the brake lights to blink, the hazards or both.