Check your brake lights!
 

So... I got stopped in NY State the other day, on the way home from Pick-A-Part in Horseheads, NY.

It was a "routine" traffic stop... the officer had been following me for some time, of course, and noted that I hadn't used my "brakes" even one time, including slowing for traffic lights, etc. though a busy part of town... of course, using brilliant deductive logic, he decided that my brake lights MUST be blown out or inop... so he pulled me over.

When I saw his lights come on, I was going about 30 MPH. It takes me only a short time to stop from 30MPH once I shut the engine off, so, once again, I didn't use my brakes - "confirming" his suspicion.

Believe me - I was more than a little annoyed with this particular officer by the time all was said and done, and I may have gotten slightly belligerent with him and his insistence that it's absolutely impossible (!) to stop a vehicle without applying the service or parking brakes. :rolleyes: (It was also decidedly wasteful of my time to explain to the officer that parking brakes don't turn on the brake lights, due to the fact that they're designed to hold the vehicle in place while it's stopped and parked... .)

So, after explaining (again) exactly what I did, and showing him that my brake lights were, in fact, operational, he reluctantly let me go with a "warning". I'm not really sure what he was warning me about, because it was clearly a verbal warning. I didn't even get a piece of paper, so I don't have his badge number or anything... Wish I did, cuz he was a mouthy one... I'd more than likely have reported him to higher authorities.

Christ -

Hee hee. I would have tapped the brakes at the very end so that he knew his argument was moot before he walked up beside my car.

CarloSW2

See, I don't ever really think about this - I've never been rear ended doing this, in probably 4-5 years of doing it as often as possible (I hate changing brakes, is all), so I figure that everyone can tell I'm slowing down/stopping, and after awhile, I forgot to hold the brake pedal just past the switch point anymore. Now, I do this instinctively without ever touching the brake pedal.

I just turn the engine off, and start walking the transmission down through the gears. If I come up a little long on the engine braking distance, THAT'S when I use my brakes. It doesn't happen often, because I normally don't need to come to a complete stop anywhere. When the light turns green, I turn the key back on, and begin re-accelerating back to the speed limit. I try to time the lights, but around here, it's killer at times, especially during peak-traffic times.

I guess if this is going to keep happening, I'm going to have to start using the brake pedal a little bit again... that's a shame, though - more electrical load. :(

Yeah, brake check the tailgating cop!

I just read this a different way, as well...

I wasn't really sure why the cop was pulling me over, so it never occurred to me to show him that my brake lights did, in fact, work.

That's one of those times where a little more information probably would have eased the situation a bit, eh?

Chirst -

Yeah, but you were within your rights, and it wasn't clear as to *why* he was pulling you over. In hindsight, I will make sure to use my brakes when I am being followed. In any case it sounds like he wasn't being reasonable.

I have a hunch that I am usually followed because of my small side-view mirror. Once they see all my other mirrors, they back off.

CarloSW2

Cops can be .......

but it is wise to choose your battles...

funny you mention the forget. I popped two brake lines a couple of years ago.. and had to use ebrake from highway speed, down to an exit ramp.. instinctively knew to hold the pedal just for the lights. The car has front ebrake cables going to rotors, mechanically operating the piston... I could use ebrake all day for real brakes...but I went rally mode crazy on the old soob.. back brakes to front are balanced, no plow.

:thumbup:

last fall, I got hit in the back at a redlight, on a steep hill...stupid driver didn't even acknowledge my lights...goes to show, with or without, something stupid can happen. never count on anything..and stay alert.

...some of the hybrid cars use "deceleration" lamps (yellow?) to warn following traffic that the vehicle is indeed slowing down towards a stop even though the brakes might not be activated yet.

That's good to know. Never heard of such a thing and if I did see it, I'd think the car had a wiring short and both turn signals were stuck on.

One thing that does throw me off is these cars that have rearward DRLs. They just look like someone is riding the brake.

I like the (mad JDM Y0!) rear fog light idea... when people run the damn things all the time.

just hook up a vacuum switch to your brake lights..

I once saw prototype Chrysler Rapid Transit cars that had a red, orange and green stop lights on them..

green was when it was accelerating, orange was when slowing or downshifting and red.. yeah..

adapt something along those lines that only comes on after a
few seconds of being in vacuum they the brakes come on..

I see quite a lot of signs about "No engine braking within city limits", but I think that is strictly a noise issue...

Yeah, that's for trucks and their "Jake Brakes."

Yep, and some even just say "No Jake Braking", although it is technically the Jacobs compression braking mechanism, if I remember correctly..


I wonder if you can fight being ticketed for no visible brake lights if you stop at a stop sign, and from a distance it might appear that you performed a California (rolling) stop... it could very possibly look as if you did not come to a complete stop or stopped at all.

Same with a lot of transit buses -- On decel, a pair of yellow lights in the center of the rear panel with blink/flash (usually LEDs). When stopped, doors open, some alternate the amber LEDs for additional warning.

I'm sure every State/Province is different, but this may cross-apply to the average vehicle (and likely be legal without law enforcement knowing about it :rolleyes: )

Perhaps 2 sets of brake lights could do the trick -- one pair for decel (using the vac idea) and then the standard set.

RH77

I would go with a push button mounted to the gear shift for my thumb.

I always think about that when I see those signs around here. "No engine braking". So technically that means I'm supposed to put it in neutral and roll down the hill. Otherwise my 3.1 is a heck of an engine brake. Cool. :)

And how about if the sign said no Jake braking and if you are a trucker and don't have the Jacobs brand engine brake but a different brand. I guess that would technically be ok too.

Hi,

The thing to remember is that you do not lose anything to also lightly use the brakes, while using the engine to slow the vehicle. This lights up your brake lights, and it keeps the rust from forming, without losing the fuel cutoff.

I don't think there is another name, to be honest. I really think that no matter what company actually makes the system, it's still called the Jacobs system, because of the person who invented it.

I haven't actually verified that, though.

He had a perfectly reasonable reason to pull you over based on his observations. Honestly, how many people engine brake with the engine off? How often do you run into someone using this to effectively engine brake a car at the same rate as mechanical brakes? Basically never. He followed you for some time to observe your car slowing down quick enough and with out brake lights to suspect that you had no tail lights. Looking at it from his perspective, completely and totally understandable. Now, of course like any person, he didn't want to exactly admit defeat after being proven wrong, but as you said both attitudes could've been different.

Well, I'm glad I am not the only one, I've been stopped 2 times for this.

First time cop was looking for an excuse to pull over a drunk driver (which he was "100% certain" that I was). I used the brakes to stop though, and he wouldn't acnolage that my red brake lights were lighting up his cruiser when I applied them after he told me that they were broken.

Second time was ok cop pulled me over, and politely told me that my brake lights were going out, he had followed me for X miles and the brake lights never went on until he stopped me. My obvious response was that I probably hadn't used them in that time period.