One of the things that gets me more worked up than it should are vehicles that have no brake lights that do not work. Whilst I know that a car should be pulled over for being unroadworthy, there seem to be a huge number of vehicles out there which don't.
I used to point this out to the drivers but after getting the 2 usual replies (1. I know 2. @#$? off!) I gave up.
Is there any authority that can be contacted to get these people to get their brake lights repaired. I suppose not as a result of cost, but the number of times that I have almost crashed when the car/van/lorry in front has braked sharply would mean that I would use the service if available.
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I've got no brake lights that don't work - perfectly roadworthy :o)
Terry
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I tested out the ABS on my car over Christmas.....nearly rear ended a brand new Mercedes (very large sports coupe not sure what model).
The driver was using rear lights and fog lights. I didnt notice the brake lights in heavy traffic as two out of the three (including the high level one) were non-functioning. The remaining one was hidden in the glare of the fog lights.
btw it was a dry bright sunny day!
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CM,
I know where you're coming from. One of my pet hates of other motorists as well. A lot of it, IMHO, down to a lack of simple maintenance by some car owners. It makes you wonder what state the rest of the vehicle is in - tyre pressures, oil level, etc.
Quick tip for you people out there that want to check your rear lights, but don't have an assistant to help. Next time you're down the supermarket, or shopping mall, find a shop window and park up with the car's rear end facing it. You can then check your rear lights using the reflection in the glass by looking in your rear view mirror. Same applies for checking your front lights, but obviously turn the car around and look out the front screen.
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I have lost my brake lights on 3 separate cars, each time due to a blown fuse. On 2 occasions I was grateful to other motorists who pointed this out to me. On the other, I figured it out for myself after 2 separate incidents involving a following car braking to a halt only inches from my rear bumper.
It's such a pity that people have to be scared of being told to f*** off for pointing things like this out.
I don't know if Mark would have a comment, but does the lack of working brake lights displace the normal rule that the following car is always liable for a rear end shunt?
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Unless you had an independant witness, or a policeman on hand and by didnt destroy his rear lights in the shunt, I cant see how you could convince the insurance company otherwise.
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This has been covered in a previous thread, there are ways for insurance assessors to tell if a bulb was illuminated at the point of impact. Something to do with looking at it through a microscope, some of the glass will melt onto the wire filament if it was glowing white-hot when it was smashed.
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I don't know if Mark would have a comment, but does the lack of working brake lights displace the normal rule that the following car is always liable for a rear end shunt?
Mark may correct me, but I'm sure that the driver who is behind still has a responsibility to stop in reasonable time and distance.
Relying on the brake lights alone to tell you when a car is slowing down or stopping surely would not be a good arguement in the case of a rear end shunt.
WRT the case of proving whether or not a brake light was illuminated, as the vast majority of accidents are "drive away after the event types", I'm not sure that a bulb could not be replaced afterwards.
Hugo
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This is the sort of thing that roving police patrols used to pick up, but now they've been replaced by sp**d cameras.
You could try making a list and passing it on to the local police station, but as you'll easily get 10 a day I doubt if you will be welcome there for long.
And then you could add in non-functioning headlights. Only pickupable at night but you should be able to identify three or four a day.
And don't forget U/S rear sidelights. Should be worth another four or five.
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"gets me more worked up than it should"
Me too. I've noticed a surprising number of new/newish cars with one brake light out (possibly both as well, but that's less easy to spot). Are the bulbs made to a lower standard now, or does multiplex wiring present a slightly higher voltage?
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Are the bulbs made to a lower standard now,
Beginning to see some cars now with LED rear & brake lights. I stumbled across a website selling them the other day - can't remember the link, but I imagine all cars will have them one day.
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Beginning to see some cars now with LED rear & brakelights. I stumbled across a website selling them the other day - can't remember the link, but I imagine all cars will have them one day.
I think that they will become standard as IIRC they illuminate more quickly than "normal" bulbs. That extra millisecond equates to a few feet (?).
On an aside, I always thought that car manufacturers should have a brake light system that shows the driver behind how hard the car in front is braking. For example if the car in front slams on the anchors maybe the hazard lights should come on at the same time....however as so many cars don't have brake lights that work perhaps this would be superfulous.
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On an aside, I always thought that car manufacturers should have a brake light system that shows the driver behind how hard the car in front is braking. For example if the car in front slams on the anchors maybe the hazard lights should come on at the same time....
I seem to recall an experiment by one manufacturer where the hazards would come on constantly (ie not flashing) at a certain braking rate - I think it was linked to the ABS sensors.
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IIRC someone came up with this some time back in the '60s or early '70s. Took the form of a couple of triangles, one on either side of the rear numberplate, which lit with increasing intensity depending on how hard the brakes were applied.
Can't remember if the triangles were red or yellow - presumably red would have indicated a trailer so they probably weren't that.
Obviously never caught on, but it goes to show there's nothing new.
Doesn't the C5 flash the hazards if you drop the anchors a bit quick?
Terry
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