Do the active safety systems activate brake light?

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kinda curious. When using something like smart cruise control or other active safety systems that slow you down, do the brake lights come on?
 
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Yes, on my 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe it does.
Smart cruise control slowing down, automatic emergency braking and brake hold light up the brake lights.
I would imagine all other makes do as well, it would be very unsafe to not have them do so.
 
Yep, my 2011 Durango would. It would also turn the brake lights on if it got too far sideways and intervened if you were out having some fun in the snow.
 
Yes they have to. What kind of a safety system would it be causing accidents by not illuminating the brake lights?
 
Originally Posted by PimTac
Yes they have to. What kind of a safety system would it be causing accidents by not illuminating the brake lights?


That would be quite foolish indeed.
I understand where OP is coming from though. Since these systems don't modulate the actual brake, the brake light switch is not activated. But modern can bus systems don't use switches to break a connection, they merely send a signal to the various modules and then the computers do the switching.
 
Originally Posted by KrisZ
Originally Posted by PimTac
Yes they have to. What kind of a safety system would it be causing accidents by not illuminating the brake lights?


That would be quite foolish indeed.
I understand where OP is coming from though. Since these systems don't modulate the actual brake, the brake light switch is not activated. But modern can bus systems don't use switches to break a connection, they merely send a signal to the various modules and then the computers do the switching.





That's a good point. One thing I've figured out is while traveling on a freeway with the adaptive cruise engaged, if the system detects a slowdown ahead and slows my vehicle by using the brakes then my brake lights will be coming on. Without the cruise engaged the usual way would be to lay off the throttle.

This is why I see a lot of brake lights on freeways now. It's safer in that respect because by just getting off the gas you slow and the driver behind you may be delayed in their response. The domino theory comes into play. One of the worst things on a freeway is when traffic suddenly comes to a halt. That means you are at the end of the domino string.
 
I know that using brakes on freeway is bad driving. You are going too fast or following too close.

It also doesn't help that the HW are way overburdened with vehicles. There is an average 50% more population in the U.S. since I was accepted to University. with much higher concentration in central Urban areas

Back it up cowboy or goatgirl !
 
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