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.