I can see Bolts 1 pedal driving the new road rage trigger

My wife and I hate it when a car ahead keeps on lighting their brake lights when everybody else is trying to drive as smoothly and steadily as they can.

Usually in a long line of steady moving cars, when people need to correct their speed they simply take their foot off the accelerator and let car slow down without the rear brakes lighting. If someone in this long line of cars light up their brakes, everybody else behind steps on theirs and the smooth flow is disrupted for almost a quarter of a mile. The rest behind that can see what is happening ahead and has enough time to take off their foot off the pedal and slow down without braking. But the smooth flow is already disrupted.

Well this morning on the way to work, a shiny new bolt several cars ahead was accelerating too quickly then letting 1 pedal driving correct their speed. He'd accelerate too fast and then at the peak of acceleration let go off the pedal a split second (enough to light up their rear brake light) to adjust their acceleration speed, go steady speed for only a couple of seconds, then suddenly fully regen unexpectedly while still far behind the next car. The hapless cars behind kept on breaking to adjust to his speed and just didn't have enough time for their ICE to catch up with the guy. The rest of us behind tried to smooth out the transition as best as we can.

At first I thought the other drivers behind him of not being aware they were following a bolt....well until one by one they all left and didn't notice I had moved right behind him.

My goodness I tell you even tho i was aware of 1 pedal driving, my bp went up the roof because I thought I was going to be in a fender bender several times. He'd light up the rear breaks so flittingly I couldn't even react fast enough, but instead of slowing down he'd accelerate quickly so i thought we were finally on steady state but then suddenly light up the rear brakes to slow down. By the time he was gone 15 minutes later, my nerves were shot and my adrenaline up my heart.

I hope GM addresses the brake lights in 1 pedal driving. I don't know how or what... maybe don't light up the rear brakes, or make the system intelligent enough to know when to light it up or not.. or maybe lessen the regen enough the brake lights don't need to light up. Just anything that'll ease the nerves of drivers behind. I've driven behind Tesla's before and I haven't had this problem, so obviously Tesla thought this thing out better than GM did.

 

Yup I did. But my reflexes are so honed to rear brake lights that even if he was farther off my bp would shoot up every time it lights up. Specially since as I driver I also look at cars way ahead of me and reassure everything is good but then this guy right in the middle of nowhere with a lot of distance in front and behind would suddenly brake. It doesn't help I've seen a lot of turkeys and deer jump across this route. One time a deer ran out of nowhere and jumped on a motorcyclist in front of me. I saw it but he never did until the deer used his handlebars to launch itself higher lol. So usually when a rear brake light pops up on an otherwise smooth drive my reaction is "deer!".

 

Maybe. Or maybe years of driving taught me when everyone's standing on their accelerator flogging their cars to close the gap and somebody suddenly shifts between gas and brakes, then it can only mean there's an emergency situation up ahead. Besides everyone else behind the Bolt left so I probably wasn't the only one getting unhealthy doses of adrenaline.

I guess it also has to do with how Ottawa drivers communicate with their brake lights. Here brake lights are used to warn rear traffic. Often in blind curve or blind slope when there is a rapid slow down, those ahead will pump their rear brakes several times to warn upcoming cars. Very useful because the Queensway has lots of blind curves and notorious sudden stops. Everybody could be zipping at 130kph (80mph) and suddenly at the turn you are standing on the brakes frantically trying to stop. Reading brake lights here is a survival skill... somebody flash a brake light up ahead you better cover your brakes and be ready to stand on it.

Unfortunately...yea olde car hast nay DRCC.

 

Bolt owners disagree with you:

Brake lamps when slowing in L mode? - Chevrolet Bolt EV Forum

 

Oh, I've used it a lot... from warning those behind me there's a police with a radar up ahead to alerting the guy behind me the icy road is very slippery when I stopped and you'd better start braking while your wayyyy behind me or your gonna rear end me. One time I actually scrambled to the side shoulder when an inattentive car almost rear ended me due to slick roads. Saved us both from all the hassle of a fender bender.