Life-Saving Technology: The case for a green front brake indicator light.

Greenbrakelight.com ^ | June 16, 2007 | Mark Lesniak

[BusterDog]

You’ll see them so many times in front of you and it won’t have anything to do with what is happening in your lanes and on your side of the street that you will just always ignore them.

Even if someone was paying attention to them, they would so seldomly provide any useful information to them that they would serve as only a distraction from other useful, important information, 99.99% of the time.

Imagine if you made all vehicles beep when they backed up. You’d drive through a parking lot to a cacophony of beeping, you’d tune it out entirely, it is useless.

Worse yet, you’d tune out or have covered up other sounds that would be useful for you to hear.

[Melinator2]

I know, that was for humblegunners benefit, plus his hangers on, some of whom are having a grand ol time stroking it all over the thread lol

[Melinator2]

No you. Get off my thread if you have nothing but shit to sling here

[Responsibility2nd]

Normally FR does not appreciate blog pimps who come here and post an excerpt of their blog

In your case, we make an exception. Please, please except anything from your blog if you must post again.

Thank you.

[Melinator2]

should have kept reading I guess. the premise is obvious and the argument is fleshed out in excruciating detail, as is necessary for any serious examination of the topic.

[philetus]

It’s hard enough making a left turn without apposing traffic thinking you’re sitting there with your brakes on so they can go ahead.

[Clay Moore]

My question:
Have you mounted green brake lights on your vehicles and if not, why not?

[humblegunner]

Get a job, you idle defective.

[humblegunner]

Get off my thread

YOUR thread?

OK, sweetiecakes... what makes this YOUR thread?

[Joe 6-pack]

"If you want to make cars safer remove the seat belts and air bags. Replace them with a 10 inch long stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel pointed at the drivers chest."

LOL - that's essentially the arrangement I had in my '66 MGB. The steering column was a piece of pipe. The dash was a relatively heavy gauge piece of stamped steel. And yes, while I drove it for fun, I was always cognizant of the risks involved which kept me from driving it beyond the capabilities of myself or the car.

Friends told me, "If you're in a bad accident, you'll be thrown out of that car." To which I replied that to the contrary, I would be pinned firmly to the dash like a butterfly specimen mounted in a glass display.

[Joe Bfstplk]

If you want to make cars safer remove the seat belts and air bags. Replace them with a 10 inch long stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel pointed at the drivers chest.

>><<

For the 18-wheeler, put the driver and controls
down on the front bumper.

[Clay Moore]

I read an article some years about the “science” used to justify the center rear brake light. The ones they used in the study were about a foot in diameter. So that justifies the 2 sq/in one how?

[Melinator2]

Hey. do you see any appeals for anything here? am i getting paid by clicks? No. I am looking for some insight and intelligent conversation on a topic that I have spent a great deal of time testing and thinking about. a front brake light is not a novel or idiotic concept. it is an improvement and there are several patents for it. none entail a simple green front brake light which I assert is the key.

Some nasty trolling freeppers who like to drive people away from Jims site want to argue about tone, wordiness, blog pimpiing... almost as if they have lost any capacity for deep thought having been driven mad by the dopamine hits they get from simply trolling any and every post by every poster. A shame really lol

[Paladin2]

Rule 0: Don’t go play in the Street.

[Joe Bfstplk]

If you want to make cars safer remove the seat belts and air bags. Replace them with a 10 inch long stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel pointed at the drivers chest.

>><<

For the 18-wheeler, put the driver and controls
down on the front bumper.

[Melinator2]

Sure, but at least they know you’re going for it when you do and dont have to guess for that split second until they realize your vehicle is launching

[Dr. Sivana]

At some point, extra information from lights become either an added distraction or superfluous. The studies that showed that third rear brake lights reduce rear-end collisions 50% were only applicable when no one else had them and they were a novelty. They sure didn't stop me from being rear-ended because an on-ramp traffic light in Madison, Wisconsin was malfunctioning and the driver behind me assumed I was moving because the light wasn't red.

I think there is a hard floor to how few traffic accidents occur using human agents driving, and we are close to it. Most accidents now are NOT the result of lack of information conveying features, but of people texting while driving, driving recklessly, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, or just plain not paying attention.

To me a bigger problem might even be a new generation trusting GPS and car electronics more than their own eyesight.

Much of this article was spent detailing the expense of car accidents. We should also consider the expense of added required features, and the marginal utility of each added feature. First there was the driver's side airbag at $600 or whatever in cost. That wasn't good enough, so now cars come with 10 or 11 airbags, in case someone is in the back seat, or the General Lee flies in on top of you at a diagonal.

End result, the cheapest new cars cost $20K out the door. You can make a 1968 Dodge Dart (I'll spot you lap belts and dual chamber master brake cylinders and padded dashes required by then)could haul six people, room for gear, and keep up with highway traffic safely with proper maintenance for 10K or less. Multiply that by a few million, and we are talking big money (some extra spent at the gas pump as the slant-six car got about 20 MPG highway).

How about we lay off of more mandatory computers, traction controls, ABS brakes, even more air bags, governors, rear view cameras, mandatory high belt lines, etc. and let people buy the cars they want? The insurance companies can wield some influence, but only where there is a real return on the added "feature".

[Dr. Sivana]

Replace them with a 10 inch long stainless steel spike in the center of the steering wheel pointed at the driver's chest.

The bad guys will surreptitiously replace them with papier-mache to pass inspection.

[Yo-Yo]

I have heard proposals to put green lights on the BACK of a vehicle that come on when the driver is pressing on the gas. It goes out when the driver coasts, and of course the traditional red lights come on when the driver brakes. This would allow following vehicles to know what the driver up front is doing, and provide a warning that the driver may be coasting in preparation for braking.

I have also heard proposals for the brake lights to flash in proportion to how hard the driver is braking. That is, if the brakes are lightly applied, the brake lights (or just the high center-mounted brake light) flashes slowly. As the driver applies more brake pressure, the light(s) flash faster and faster, and are solidly lit with full brake pressure. This, too, would provide more information to following drivers to know how hard the car in front is applying the brakes and anticipate accordingly.

I have never, ever before heard of this proposal to put Green brake lights on the front of a vehicle. To me, Green means "Go," not stop, and would cause more confusion than lessen potential collisions.

However, I think all of these proposals are outdated with today's cars with active collision avoidance radar installed.

[Henchster]

"Hello Freepers."

"Please imagine for one moment..."

How about I imagine a Free Republic without assclowns posting complete nonsense from their slimy blog to get a few hits to their pathetic website?