Skip to content

Front Brake Lights Could Drastically Diminish Road Accident Rates

Technology
337 165 9.4k
  • Please allow me this opportunity to jump in and complain about the minority, but not insignificant number, of people that don't seem to be aware that that is even an option (just taking your foot off of the gas/accelerator to slowly decelerate).

    Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that's always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason. It's like they realize that they're going just a little faster than they want, and definitely don't want to accelerate any more, so the only thing they know to do is hit the brake, instead of just taking their foot off of the accelerator. So they've hit the brake and now they're going too slow, so foot moves off the brake and back to the accelerator. Rinse, lather, repeat.

    End rant. Thank you for this opportunity to vent.

    These people might be two-footed drivers. My mother used to do this and you'd see the brakes flash on and off while following behind her because she'd be hovering her foot on the brake pedal while also hitting the accelerator.

  • Please allow me this opportunity to jump in and complain about the minority, but not insignificant number, of people that don't seem to be aware that that is even an option (just taking your foot off of the gas/accelerator to slowly decelerate).

    Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that's always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason. It's like they realize that they're going just a little faster than they want, and definitely don't want to accelerate any more, so the only thing they know to do is hit the brake, instead of just taking their foot off of the accelerator. So they've hit the brake and now they're going too slow, so foot moves off the brake and back to the accelerator. Rinse, lather, repeat.

    End rant. Thank you for this opportunity to vent.

    Brake light activates before the brakes engages, so they could just be resting their foot on the brake while coasting. Pretty normal defensive driving technique. People tend to do it in heavier traffic or when people are tailgating them. Gives a way faster brake response.

  • Please allow me this opportunity to jump in and complain about the minority, but not insignificant number, of people that don't seem to be aware that that is even an option (just taking your foot off of the gas/accelerator to slowly decelerate).

    Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that's always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason. It's like they realize that they're going just a little faster than they want, and definitely don't want to accelerate any more, so the only thing they know to do is hit the brake, instead of just taking their foot off of the accelerator. So they've hit the brake and now they're going too slow, so foot moves off the brake and back to the accelerator. Rinse, lather, repeat.

    End rant. Thank you for this opportunity to vent.

    Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that’s always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason.

    In many EVs and Hybrids the "letting off the accelerator" engages the regeneration drag which slows the car. A number of vehicle makers with particularly aggressive drag (which gets higher regen rates) automatically illuminate the brake lights. So if you're behind one of these it will look like they are braking when they may have no foot on any pedal (brake or accelerator).

  • Like someone said in the hnews comments, this might work for auto transmission but with manual gearing you've got people using engine braking on hills.

    Also like stated in the article the colouring is going to be an issue and trying to see some green lights whilst the headlights are on (full beam fog lights perhaps too?) doesn't seem practicable to me.

    with computers these days an acceleration based system should be achievable for all types of cars. hybrid/electric cars already do it with regen braking.

  • How would you do that so it isn't ugly as hell and isn't prone to misunderstanding?

    sliding light or arrows

  • These people might be two-footed drivers. My mother used to do this and you'd see the brakes flash on and off while following behind her because she'd be hovering her foot on the brake pedal while also hitting the accelerator.

    Those are definitely not people that ever learned to drive a manual transmission.

  • Theres a saying in computer stuff that applies nicely here. PEBKAC, problem exists between keyboard and computer...turn signals have to be turned on, no amount of engineering can fix bad driving.

    Heads up, it’s actually keyboard and chair, not keyboard and computer

  • with computers these days an acceleration based system should be achievable for all types of cars. hybrid/electric cars already do it with regen braking.

    Possibly, and I'd be interested in some sort of 360° LED on top of a vehicle to indicate to pedestrians and other drivers alike of its (de)acceleration.

    But jamming some non standard colours in what is a long term understanding on the front of a vehicle I can't really get with and would like to see the impact to people with partial / colour blindness with using such a system.

    Like, does the average pedestrian know what the green and red lights mean on an aircraft? I bet not.

  • Rear fog lights on all vehicles (some vehicles have them now).

    it's forbidden to use rear fog lights under rain (it's more confusing than helpful)

    if you live somewhere dry, that's not a concern. But here it rains 1 day in 3

  • By signaling to oncoming traffic and vehicles approaching from the side, a front brake light provides an essential visual cue that a car is slowing down or preparing to stop. When the light is extinguished, it indicates that a stationary vehicle might initiate movement. According to Tomasch, this visual feedback can significantly truncate the reaction time for other road users, leading to shorter stopping distances and consequently diminishing the likelihood of accidents.

    Sounds reasonable. Personally I just want front turn signals to be visible from the opposite side again.

    Personally I just want front turn signals to be visible from the opposite side again

    Not sure if I read that correctly, but I don't think this has ever been the case?

  • How would you do that so it isn't ugly as hell and isn't prone to misunderstanding?

    How would you do that so it isn’t ugly as hell

    same way we do with lights now, design them attractively. It is not always successful and that's on the manufacturers.

    and isn’t prone to misunderstanding?

    what about it is confusing? green = not coming at you so it's okay to turn left (or whatever).

  • Heads up, it’s actually keyboard and chair, not keyboard and computer

    Dang it, sometimes I just type stuff and dont think about what I typed (the irony of what I was writing out)

  • Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that’s always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason.

    In many EVs and Hybrids the "letting off the accelerator" engages the regeneration drag which slows the car. A number of vehicle makers with particularly aggressive drag (which gets higher regen rates) automatically illuminate the brake lights. So if you're behind one of these it will look like they are braking when they may have no foot on any pedal (brake or accelerator).

    I just got a Chevy Volt and when I let up off the accelerator it will start the regen and significantly decrease my speed. I assume that my brake lights are coming on because so far no one has rear-ended me or yelled at me for not having brake lights. I wish there was a good way to tell for sure though. I think it's Hyundai that does not engage the brake lights for situations like this, as I've about hit one before.

  • Like someone said in the hnews comments, this might work for auto transmission but with manual gearing you've got people using engine braking on hills.

    Also like stated in the article the colouring is going to be an issue and trying to see some green lights whilst the headlights are on (full beam fog lights perhaps too?) doesn't seem practicable to me.

    Last I heard something like 98% of new cars/trucks sold in America have automatic.

  • Please allow me this opportunity to jump in and complain about the minority, but not insignificant number, of people that don't seem to be aware that that is even an option (just taking your foot off of the gas/accelerator to slowly decelerate).

    Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that's always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason. It's like they realize that they're going just a little faster than they want, and definitely don't want to accelerate any more, so the only thing they know to do is hit the brake, instead of just taking their foot off of the accelerator. So they've hit the brake and now they're going too slow, so foot moves off the brake and back to the accelerator. Rinse, lather, repeat.

    End rant. Thank you for this opportunity to vent.

    Please allow me this opportunity to jump in and complain about the minority, but not insignificant number, of people that don't seem to be aware that that is even an option (just taking your foot off of the gas/accelerator to slowly decelerate).

    😂 I feel your pain

  • Like someone said in the hnews comments, this might work for auto transmission but with manual gearing you've got people using engine braking on hills.

    Also like stated in the article the colouring is going to be an issue and trying to see some green lights whilst the headlights are on (full beam fog lights perhaps too?) doesn't seem practicable to me.

    Automatics also allow for engine braking. From a quick search, it sounds like a toss-up as to whether that triggers brake lights. Regardless, the article mentions the benefit is not only from cars slowing down, but also from indicating that a car is preparing to stop or "that a stationary vehicle might initiate movement". Neither of those can be done by an engine brake, so front brake lights would still have a benefit even with a driver that likes engine braking.

  • Possibly, and I'd be interested in some sort of 360° LED on top of a vehicle to indicate to pedestrians and other drivers alike of its (de)acceleration.

    But jamming some non standard colours in what is a long term understanding on the front of a vehicle I can't really get with and would like to see the impact to people with partial / colour blindness with using such a system.

    Like, does the average pedestrian know what the green and red lights mean on an aircraft? I bet not.

    fair point about color blindness, but surely there is some 4th color that would work well with red/amber/white.

  • It would also help to know whether or not I'm going to get smushed.

  • Every couple weeks or so I seem to find myself behind someone that’s always either accelerating, or braking, with the brake lights repeatedly flashing on momentarily for no apparent reason.

    In many EVs and Hybrids the "letting off the accelerator" engages the regeneration drag which slows the car. A number of vehicle makers with particularly aggressive drag (which gets higher regen rates) automatically illuminate the brake lights. So if you're behind one of these it will look like they are braking when they may have no foot on any pedal (brake or accelerator).

    thanks for this information. Next time i see this I won't be confused

  • Possibly, and I'd be interested in some sort of 360° LED on top of a vehicle to indicate to pedestrians and other drivers alike of its (de)acceleration.

    But jamming some non standard colours in what is a long term understanding on the front of a vehicle I can't really get with and would like to see the impact to people with partial / colour blindness with using such a system.

    Like, does the average pedestrian know what the green and red lights mean on an aircraft? I bet not.

    Well you should educate yourself on the rules of the method of travel no matter.

    If you were to go up in the air and you didn’t educate yourself on what the lights mean, you’re going to ruin everyone else’s day in your incredibly dangerous ignorance.

    You don’t take a paddle boat onto the water without understanding some basic principles of water navigation… why would roads in this specific cause be any different? We already do with most land methods, this one is gonna be hinge? Nah. Ignorance isn’t an excuse.

  • America's largest power grid is struggling to meet demand from AI

    Technology technology
    2
    1
    37 Stimmen
    2 Beiträge
    34 Aufrufe
    A
    Let's add solar!.... People never ask questions at night when they're sleeping. Sounds pretty ideal to me.
  • 0 Stimmen
    1 Beiträge
    17 Aufrufe
    Niemand hat geantwortet
  • 590 Stimmen
    120 Beiträge
    1k Aufrufe
    chickenandrice@sh.itjust.worksC
    Building a linux phone: do you mean from scratch, or just installing one of the Linux phone OS's that already exist? I've been following Ubuntu Touch for several years now and, while they have made a lot of progress, its main hurdles have the same thing in common: mobile hardware is incredibly locked down. For example, Ubuntu Touch uses proprietary Android drivers for many low level functions. Even then, there's some features that aren't stable across all devices, like VOLTE. It sucks, I really want to use Ubuntu Touch (or any of the Linux alternatives) but I can't make phone calls or text in the US without VOLTE support. There are a few phones that support VOLTE, but the feature is either in beta, the phone is expensive, or the phone is not sold in the US. Anyways bringing that back to Graphene: In my case, I'm using this as a stopgap until Linux phones take off (assuming they ever do). For now I guess the best thing is to just be skeptic, keep things minimal, and bloat-free.
  • 47 Stimmen
    13 Beiträge
    150 Aufrufe
    N
    They don't treat their people like shit, they treat them like slaves. In countries outside China at that. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3v5n7w55kpo
  • Telegram, the FSB, and the Man in the Middle

    Technology technology
    8
    1
    52 Stimmen
    8 Beiträge
    83 Aufrufe
    R
    You can be seen from a kilometer away, pots ))
  • YouTube is getting more AI.

    Technology technology
    11
    1
    38 Stimmen
    11 Beiträge
    93 Aufrufe
    E
    Yaaaaay! Said no one.
  • 353 Stimmen
    40 Beiträge
    523 Aufrufe
    L
    If AI constantly refined its own output, sure, unless it hits a wall eventually or starts spewing bullshit because of some quirk of training. But I doubt it could learn to summarise better without external input, just like a compiler won't produce a more optimised version of itself without human development work.
  • Catbox.moe got screwed 😿

    Technology technology
    40
    55 Stimmen
    40 Beiträge
    400 Aufrufe
    archrecord@lemm.eeA
    I'll gladly give you a reason. I'm actually happy to articulate my stance on this, considering how much I tend to care about digital rights. Services that host files should not be held responsible for what users upload, unless: The service explicitly caters to illegal content by definition or practice (i.e. the if the website is literally titled uploadyourcsamhere[.]com then it's safe to assume they deliberately want to host illegal content) The service has a very easy mechanism to remove illegal content, either when asked, or through simple monitoring systems, but chooses not to do so (catbox does this, and quite quickly too) Because holding services responsible creates a whole host of negative effects. Here's some examples: Someone starts a CDN and some users upload CSAM. The creator of the CDN goes to jail now. Nobody ever wants to create a CDN because of the legal risk, and thus the only providers of CDNs become shady, expensive, anonymously-run services with no compliance mechanisms. You run a site that hosts images, and someone decides they want to harm you. They upload CSAM, then report the site to law enforcement. You go to jail. Anybody in the future who wants to run an image sharing site must now self-censor to try and not upset any human being that could be willing to harm them via their site. A social media site is hosting the posts and content of users. In order to be compliant and not go to jail, they must engage in extremely strict filtering, otherwise even one mistake could land them in jail. All users of the site are prohibited from posting any NSFW or even suggestive content, (including newsworthy media, such as an image of bodies in a warzone) and any violation leads to an instant ban, because any of those things could lead to a chance of actually illegal content being attached. This isn't just my opinion either. Digital rights organizations such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation have talked at length about similar policies before. To quote them: "When social media platforms adopt heavy-handed moderation policies, the unintended consequences can be hard to predict. For example, Twitter’s policies on sexual material have resulted in posts on sexual health and condoms being taken down. YouTube’s bans on violent content have resulted in journalism on the Syrian war being pulled from the site. It can be tempting to attempt to “fix” certain attitudes and behaviors online by placing increased restrictions on users’ speech, but in practice, web platforms have had more success at silencing innocent people than at making online communities healthier." Now, to address the rest of your comment, since I don't just want to focus on the beginning: I think you have to actively moderate what is uploaded Catbox does, and as previously mentioned, often at a much higher rate than other services, and at a comparable rate to many services that have millions, if not billions of dollars in annual profits that could otherwise be spent on further moderation. there has to be swifter and stricter punishment for those that do upload things that are against TOS and/or illegal. The problem isn't necessarily the speed at which people can be reported and punished, but rather that the internet is fundamentally harder to track people on than real life. It's easy for cops to sit around at a spot they know someone will be physically distributing illegal content at in real life, but digitally, even if you can see the feed of all the information passing through the service, a VPN or Tor connection will anonymize your IP address in a manner that most police departments won't be able to track, and most three-letter agencies will simply have a relatively low success rate with. There's no good solution to this problem of identifying perpetrators, which is why platforms often focus on moderation over legal enforcement actions against users so frequently. It accomplishes the goal of preventing and removing the content without having to, for example, require every single user of the internet to scan an ID (and also magically prevent people from just stealing other people's access tokens and impersonating their ID) I do agree, however, that we should probably provide larger amounts of funding, training, and resources, to divisions who's sole goal is to go after online distribution of various illegal content, primarily that which harms children, because it's certainly still an issue of there being too many reports to go through, even if many of them will still lead to dead ends. I hope that explains why making file hosting services liable for user uploaded content probably isn't the best strategy. I hate to see people with good intentions support ideas that sound good in practice, but in the end just cause more untold harms, and I hope you can understand why I believe this to be the case.