Interpretation ID: nht94-3.30

TYPE: INTERPRETATION-NHTSA

DATE: June 8, 1994

FROM: Rick Rogers

TO: Robert Mellmuth -- NHTSA

TITLE: None

ATTACHMT: Attached to letter dated 7/21/94 from John Womack to Rick Rogers (A42; STD 108); and letter dated 1/25/90 from Stephen P. Wood to Larry S. Snowhite

TEXT: I'd like to present an idea to the auto industry that has been an oversight for some time. An idea that can prevent tens of thousands of accidents and save thousands of lives.

The great thing is that it costs next to nothing to implement, and makes the industry shine with innovation. Here it is.

A cars brake lights should go on not only when the break pedal is pressed, but should also go on when the gas pedal is released.

There it is. Simple and effective. We're saving tenths of seconds during critical moments before a rear and accident. We're letting cars space themselves more appropriately during stop and go, bumper to bumper traffic. We're letting the person driv ing behind us know that we no longer have out foot on the gas pedal, but have motioned toward caution to either brake or to start to coast slower. Either way, we're letting the driver behind us drive more intelligently by giving them as much warning as to how our car is operating.

Lets carry the implementation of this idea one step further. Lets get sophisticated. Cars and trucks have clutches, so lets engage our brake device when the clutch is moved to neutral. This idea lends us to make two kinds of brake lights. Fully en gaged and pre-engaged. Fully engaged represents the lighting method currently being used by the auto industry. You hit your brakes and your brake light comes on. Pre-engaged (passive engaged) brake lights represent brake lights that would be displayed with a lesser light intensity to prewarn the driver behind your vehicle that your vehicle may soon brake. They would go on when the gas pedal is released for cars and trucks with automatic transmissions, and would go on when a vehicle with a clutch mov es to neutral and/or when the gas pedal is released. These brake lights could be either a seperate bulb of lesser wattage, or can even be incorporated into the regular brake light bulbs as a secondary filament.

Whether pre-engaged (passive engaged) brake lighting becomes a reality on the less sophisticated automobiles or not, a quicker brake signal makes sense. Todays cars are more responsive than ever, but drivers are drivers. We need all the reaction time we can get. This idea will give it.

Sometimes a simple idea can make our life simpler, and safer. Feel free to call or write if you feel this idea merits your interests in vehicle safety. I hope for the sake of drivers abroad that this idea is one the auto industry will embrace.