One-third of automobile collisions are rear-end collisions. If we could only figure out why they happen so frequently, perhaps we could avoid those collisions.
Researchers have been working on this problem for a long time. In 1974, a psychologist named John Voevodsky decided to test his theory that drivers needed to see a dedicated brake light that would illuminate at the same time as the other two brake lights, thus forming a triangle of brake lights. He added his third brake light, mounted in the base of rear windshields. When drivers pressed their brakes, a triangle of lights warned following drivers to slow down.
To test whether such a small addition would make a significant difference, Voevodsky equipped 343 San Francisco taxicabs with the third brake light and left 160 taxis with no additional light as a control group. Taxi dispatchers then randomly assigned taxi drivers to taxis with or without the third light.
At the end of a 10-month experiment, taxis with a third brake light had suffered 60.6% fewer rear-end collisions than had the control-group taxis.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) repeated Voevodsky's experiment on a larger scale, and concluded that Center High Mounted Stop Lamps (CHMSLs) reduce accidents and injuries. As a result, NHTSA required all new cars (starting in 1986) and all new light trucks (since 1994) to have a third brake light.
Unfortunately, subsequent research shows that the CHMSLs now only reduce rearend collisions by about 5%. The effect of the triangle of brake lights has apparently worn off.
Researchers now consider what else to do. For example, at Virginia Tech, the latest idea is a flashing light that shows a difference between whether a car is slowing or stopping.
The problem researches are trying to solve is that drivers find it difficult to judge whether the car in front intends to stop. The solution may be smart brake lights that glow amber in the center when a vehicle is slowing and flash red when stopping. When deceleration is rapid, all of the lights flash red.
The flashing is supposed to alert the driver behind the brake lights. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, “Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes.”
The smart brake system developed by Virginia Tech isn’t implemented in cars yet, but research is now being conducted on buses because they make frequent stops.
Researchers have been working on this problem for a long time. In 1974, a psychologist named John Voevodsky decided to test his theory that drivers needed to see a dedicated brake light that would illuminate at the same time as the other two brake lights, thus forming a triangle of brake lights. He added his third brake light, mounted in the base of rear windshields. When drivers pressed their brakes, a triangle of lights warned following drivers to slow down.
To test whether such a small addition would make a significant difference, Voevodsky equipped 343 San Francisco taxicabs with the third brake light and left 160 taxis with no additional light as a control group. Taxi dispatchers then randomly assigned taxi drivers to taxis with or without the third light.
At the end of a 10-month experiment, taxis with a third brake light had suffered 60.6% fewer rear-end collisions than had the control-group taxis.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) repeated Voevodsky's experiment on a larger scale, and concluded that Center High Mounted Stop Lamps (CHMSLs) reduce accidents and injuries. As a result, NHTSA required all new cars (starting in 1986) and all new light trucks (since 1994) to have a third brake light.
Unfortunately, subsequent research shows that the CHMSLs now only reduce rearend collisions by about 5%. The effect of the triangle of brake lights has apparently worn off.
Researchers now consider what else to do. For example, at Virginia Tech, the latest idea is a flashing light that shows a difference between whether a car is slowing or stopping.
The problem researches are trying to solve is that drivers find it difficult to judge whether the car in front intends to stop. The solution may be smart brake lights that glow amber in the center when a vehicle is slowing and flash red when stopping. When deceleration is rapid, all of the lights flash red.
The flashing is supposed to alert the driver behind the brake lights. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, “Driver inattention is the leading factor in most crashes and near-crashes.”
The smart brake system developed by Virginia Tech isn’t implemented in cars yet, but research is now being conducted on buses because they make frequent stops.
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