Safe Driving with Driverthink

Who of us ever thinks about signaling with our brake lights?  Why should we?  They go on automatically, don’t they?

Well, yes and no.  “Yes”, they always go on when you hit the brakes, but, “No”, you can also activate them without actually braking.  Then they’re not automatic, and this is where it can pay to Driverthink about our brake lights and their usage — with a little more focus.

We all know that the brake lights go on when we push the brake pedal.  The question is, “When do they go on?”

Brake lights (like any other lighting system) are activated by an electrical switch.  Most commonly, this switch is a release type of switch somewhere near the pedal.  When the pedal is at rest, it pushes against a button on the switch.  In this case, when the button is being pushed, the lights are off.  It’s when the pedal is pushed and the button is released, that the switch goes on — and our little friends at the back of the car suddenly glow.

Now we all know that we can usually push our brake pedal an inch or more before we actually feel the brakes begin to slow the car.  But when does that release switch actually light up the reds?  Knowing the answer – and knowing how you can use the lights as a signal without actually applying the brakes, can mean the difference between a nice smooth bumper with no dings, and a neck brace. 

The best way to sort out this issue is to safely back up to a window or something that will reflect the back of your buggy.  Then simply put it in park, look at your reflection, press the pedal slowly and watch to see when the red glows.  Usually, it will be before you actually feel brake pressure.  Thus, our brake lights will flash on before our brake pads actually contact the brake disks or drums, which is of course, what actually stops our favorite little buggy.

Interesting.  So now we know we can shine those little red puppies without actually stopping the car.  We can “brake signal”.  When may we want to do this, and when shouldn’t we?

Well we don’t want to shine those puppies if we have absolutely no intention of stopping.  Who of us hasn’t followed the “brake rider” for miles, as his brake lights constantly flash on and off.  He’s like the boy who cried wolf.  We never really know if he’s actually slowing down or not, so his brake lights become totally meaningless.  Either he’s resting his left foot on the brake pedal or he’s a tad nervous.  Either way, he doesn’t realize he’s driving the people behind him nuts and is really placing himself at risk.  He doesn’t realize he’s brake signaling.

On the other hand, if I’m scooting along at speed and suddenly, over a hill or around a bend, I see traffic at a dead stop out there in front of me, I know I’m going to be stopping.  But the driver further behind me doesn’t.  He can’t see the problem yet, and he’s merrily buzzing along – unaware of the impending “whoops”!

One of the little problems with brake lights is that they only say you’re braking.  They don’t say how hard!  So I’ll tap the brakes lightly three or four times to warn him, before I actually start stopping.  If I simply apply the brakes, yeah, he may see me, but giving him three to four rapid fire flashes, is definitely going to catch his attention.  I’m warning him, “Hey!”  “You can’t see it yet but we’re definitely going to be stopping – maybe very quickly.”  “Heads up!”

Stick shift (or paddle shift) drivers may want to think about “brake signaling”  If we’re in slow and go traffic and we’re hanging a gear, we can often speed up or slow down fairly quickly without even touching the brakes (or showing brake lights).  We know that — but does the driver behind us have it figured out?  If we’re going to use the engine to slow us down, we might want to lightly rub the brake pedal, letting our good neighbor behind us know what we’re doing.

If I’m driving a larger vehicle than the guy behind me, he’s relying on me to gauge his speed.  He has limited “forward look.”  He can’t see that slow down up ahead.  But I can.  I may want to give him a little “brake signal” before I actually have to slow down.  I’m not telling him, “Hey, get offa’ my tail!”  I’m simply giving him a little extra reaction time so his little Miata doesn’t end up hitching a ride in my truck bed.

Brake Signaling.  It can keep you safer.  It can keep you alive.

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