Flashing third tail light

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Originally Posted By: OilFilters
Originally Posted By: wag123
but I don't believe that law enforcement (in most states) or insurance companies really give a RAT's A$$ about the device's use.


You think the insurance companies don't care? Have you ever dealt with an insurance adjuster? They will look for ANY reason not to pay you, even if it isn't really the cause of anything. Having illegal brake lights would be a great one if it was any sort of accident that might involve seeing your brake light. As mentioned before, even if the other party is at fault they would have a good reason to sue you because they didn't know what flashing center light means. Maybe they might not catch on that you have it...or maybe they will.

If an injury or fatality is involved, it could mean jail time. You really shouldn't mess with safety devices. If you had tinted brake lights, for example, it would be a really big deal if something happened. This is no different.

I have dealt with insurance adjusters MANY times. If someone rear-ends me, THEY are getting ticketed!
 
Originally Posted By: wag123
If someone rear-ends me, THEY are getting ticketed!

And if they're smart, they will sue you for damages. Do you realize how alarmingly easy it is to sue somebody in this country? Even if you want to claim not guilty, you have to pay court fees and show up or you automatically lose.

I'd be willing to bet there is fine print in your insurance policy voiding it in the event you modify federal safety devices with illegal non approved things.

Imagine if you disabled your airbag, for example, and then somebody got hurt as a direct result. Do you think the insurance will pay you for that? Probably not.
 
Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
I find it interesting that the DOT hasn't approved it.


Because there hasn't been enough data (yet) to conclusively show that flashing stop lamps significantly reduce rear end collisions. That is what they want to see before making a significant change to a safety regulation which has been on the books for decades.*

It is not enough to show reduced reaction time in a small controlled experiment on a test track (the 2002 Daimler-Chrysler test) - it's a huge leap from that to concluding that rear end collisions will in fact be reduced in the real world, even if it's an 'intuitive' or 'common sense' conclusion to draw. Intuition and common sense can be, and often is, wrong.


In 2005, Mercedes-Benz petitioned NHTSA for (and was granted) a temporary 2-year exemption from S5.5.10 of FMVSS 108. This allowed them to produce up to 5000 vehicles that would flash its stop lamps in emergency braking.

If you read the text, you'll get an insight into NHTSA's thinking.

https://www.federalregister.gov/document...l-motor-vehicle



* - It's actually a good thing that they're legal in Europe because they in effect become guinea pigs. Same things goes for fully adaptive headlights which are not yet legal in the U.S. The DOT will take a 'wait and see' attitude to see if accidents are actually reduced significantly.
 
Originally Posted By: wag123

I have dealt with insurance adjusters MANY times. If someone rear-ends me, THEY are getting ticketed!


Insurance adjusters don't write tickets, but we know what you mean.

By your own admission, you haven't been rear-ended since you installed brake light flashers on your vehicles, so how do you know you wouldn't have been denied insurance coverage if you had been rear ended with a flashing brake light?
 
I think we're pretty much on the same page here.
FMVSS or no, no LEO is going to cite anyone for having a flashing brake lamp unless the driver is a complete jerk.
That these police agencies have more pressing enforcement concerns is also inarguable.
Whether flashing brake lamps really reduce rear end collision risk or do no more than irritate following drivers is arguable.
What might happen in a civil action is anybody's guess. I wonder whether there's any case law on this?
 
Originally Posted By: Lethal1ty17
I find it interesting that the DOT hasn't approved it.

After they first started studying them, it took MANY years before the US DOT mandated 3rd brake lights be installed on all new vehicles. This is also true of many other safety advancements like turn signals, backup lamps, seat belts, air bags, anti-lock brakes, etc, etc. The US DOT tends to study, study, study, and study some more before they make a definitive move. It is pretty clear (to me) after reading some of these studies that cost/benefit ratio weighs heavily on the decisions they make. Meanwhile, over the years, aftermarket equipment manufacturers have marketed safety items that a vehicle's owner can retrofit to their vehicle, something that the US DOT does NOT expressly forbid.
Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, VW, and BMW have released vehicles equipped to convey a special light signal when the vehicle is braked rapidly and severely. This is officially referred to as "emergency stop signal".
 
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Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech

Pretty common in the EU. I was able to turn this feature on on the 1er. Hard braking and the brake lights will flash.

Are you sure it's the brake lights and not the hazards that flash?

On wife's Q5 it's the hazard lights. I can enable/disable it using Carista.


BMW's Dynamic Brake Force Display works in many steps. Normal braking, just outside and high mount brake light. Heavier braking the outer lights illuminate brigher. Next step up is inner brake lights also light up. Under really heavy braking, the brake lights will flash (can also code on high mount brake light to flash), then just before stopping, the hazards will come on. Also depends on what brake light configuration the car has.

Pretty much any combination of the above can be coded on/off with Carly.
 
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Further research indicates that the emergency stop signal (ESS) function is now required on ALL new cars sold in the EU. Some cars sold in the US have this function already built-in from the factory but it is disabled by default because the US DOT does not currently allow it's implementation. As mightymousetech has already pointed out, on the cars that have it, the function can be activated by programming changes in the body computer.
 
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Well, Wednesday on the way to work I got behind some idiot in a Hyundai Tuscon that had their 3rd tail light modded to blink CONSTANTLY when the brake was applied. The funny thing is, it looked like an aftermarket assembly, not just a chip because the tail light had red leds behind a clear lens, which, IMO, is even harder to see than a red lensed light.
 
Originally Posted By: Brigadier
Well, Wednesday on the way to work I got behind some idiot in a Hyundai Tuscon that had their 3rd tail light modded to blink CONSTANTLY when the brake was applied. The funny thing is, it looked like an aftermarket assembly, not just a chip because the tail light had red leds behind a clear lens, which, IMO, is even harder to see than a red lensed light.

That WOULD be annoying! I would NEVER think of subjecting a driver following me to that, which is why I chose a device that stops flashing in about one second, and it won't flash again for 7 seconds if I have to release and reapply the brakes in heavy stop-and-go traffic (most of the devices won't do this). Consideration for other drivers was high on my priority list when I was looking at devices.
 
Originally Posted By: Voleak
Re-think the blink. The moth effect is real, and can be fatal. This article discusses the danger of flashing or blinking lights at night. http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20120715/News/207150316


I've heard that intoxicated drivers are more likely to crash into a car, bicycle, or motorcycle that have flashing lights. The drivers lock onto the lights and steer towards them.



It's a proven fact that people crash into the flashing lights of police cars, especially those that are intoxicated or tired. Some police departments are starting to use an amber light that blinks from left to right sort of light a construction sign for changing lanes when they are parked on the street conducting police business, rather than leaving the nasty flashing blue/strobe lights on the whole time.
 
Originally Posted By: OilFilters
Originally Posted By: Voleak
Re-think the blink. The moth effect is real, and can be fatal. This article discusses the danger of flashing or blinking lights at night. http://www.poconorecord.com/article/20120715/News/207150316


I've heard that intoxicated drivers are more likely to crash into a car, bicycle, or motorcycle that have flashing lights. The drivers lock onto the lights and steer towards them.



It's a proven fact that people crash into the flashing lights of police cars, especially those that are intoxicated or tired. Some police departments are starting to use an amber light that blinks from left to right sort of light a construction sign for changing lanes when they are parked on the street conducting police business, rather than leaving the nasty flashing blue/strobe lights on the whole time.


Ive often felt that the police cars with excessively bright flashing lights, and often spotlights beaming into traffic, are more of a danger themselves. It is easy to be affected by the excessive glare and flashing lights that seem to have little consideration for other drivers going by.
 
I've been seeing them more and more lately.
I'll admit, and sound like a buffoon, that the first few times seeing them I honestly thought they were a malfunctioning light. With 7 billion people on this earth I'm sure I'm not the only one to share that sentiment. Only after seeing it more and more did I realize it's an intentional feature.
I will start out by saying that I find them annoying. Especially in stop and go traffic following the same car for miles. They are annoying to me not because they "catch my attention"
I'm already paying attention to the road and looking at the car ahead ESPECIALLY in traffic prone areas. If I was looking down at my phone, at my [censored], or whatever other possible distraction you can come up with, I'm pretty sure if I wouldn't see a brake light light up normally that I wouldn't see it flash, either. And if I'm coming up behind someone at 90mph I don't think a little blink on the tail light is going to affect my outcomes whatsoever.
I'm just not convinced, and as other have mentioned, what happens when every car is strobing across a 5 lane highway during rush hour.
 
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Originally Posted By: JHZR2

Ive often felt that the police cars with excessively bright flashing lights, and often spotlights beaming into traffic, are more of a danger themselves. It is easy to be affected by the excessive glare and flashing lights that seem to have little consideration for other drivers going by.


I've heard people claim that HIDs "melt their retinas." Truth be told, I'm not bothered by them(as long as they're properly aimed) and rarely does someone leaving their high beams on bother me.

The modern blue LED light bars and all manner of other blue lights are a totally different story, though. If I see them at night, I often find myself seeing blue spots for a minute or two afterwards even though I do my best to not look at them.
 
Originally Posted By: JetStar
There are a few dealers in my area that are installing these for $399.00. Nice little money maker.


I wonder if someone were rear ended in a vehicle with one of these lights, if the insurance companies could wash their hands of the incident due to the flashing 3rd brake lot not being DOT approved.
 
They have denied claims for those that tint their brake/tail lights. Which was a hot button topic on model specific forum I used to frequent. Deliberately altering a safety device. This on the other hand makes them brighter plus this morning I saw one on a new Wrx but the flasher was located where a trailer hitch would be. Some doctor at the hospital owns it.


 
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