Flashing Brake Lights?

So what happens after they flash three times? My first thought is they may not be legal.

 

They usually then flash a constant red.

 

I see those around here occasionally. They might make me slightly more willing to hit that person from behind than I would be if they just have brake lights.

When I was younger, we would sometimes tap the brake pedal several times fast, to signal to someone behind, "HEY! UNUSUAL! LOOK OUT HERE!"

So with those doodads installed, it's pretty much like you're shouting "HEY! UNUSUAL! LOOK OUT HERE!" every time you feel like slowing down.

 

There are $5, two-wire, electronic modules that can be spliced into the brake power circuit that perform this function -- three flashes then constant, per brake application. Cheap applications of the Voevodsky patent. Four flashes in four seconds is the limit in several jurisdictions, including Cali.

 

I have a module tied in to the high mount on my Gen 3 that strobes the light 3 times, then four flashes. I have been stopped by the police, but his only question about the brake light was how I got it to do that. He wanted to do the same to his own car.

 

LOL!

 

These flashing brake light modules are like the boy who cried wolf.

I recently read about a European guy's trip to the U.S. In Europe, brake lights are allowed to flash only in panic stop situations when rapid deceleration is sensed. Shortly after this European guy got his rental car - I think it was in New Yawk - he encountered a car ahead of him that had one of these moron flashing brake light modules.

The European guy promptly slammed on his brakes as hard as he could assuming that the car in front of him was in panic stop mode due an emergency. Unfortunately, traffic was heavy and another car was following closely behind him. It wasn't a pretty picture. Maybe the rental car agency should have warned the European guy about the stupidity of some Americans and the $#!+ they install on their cars.

 

The Voevodsky patent was deceleration based strobing of brake lights. The eBay $5 modules, not so much.

 

There are a variety of adaptive brake light systems used in Europe. Some rapidly flash only the brake lights during a panic stop and some also use the rear turn signals and/or the rear fog lights. Some increase the brake light intensity during a panic stop. My "favorite" adaptive brake lights are on the Porsche Panamera. The rear of the car lights up like a carnival sideshow during hard braking with both its rear amber sequential turn signals flashing rapidly.

 

And the way those grocery getters are driven... they need that carnival light show, and a guy with a broom behind the parade to clean up the plastic pieces.