I do lots of things which are illegal if it makes me safer.
For example, in Virginia, it is illegal to wear disposable earplugs when riding a motorcycle. So what? I'm not going to risk permanent hearing damage in order to comply with a law when I know better than the people who passed it.
I regularly travel above the speed limit. I'm not going to put my personal safety at risk by going 10-20mph slower than other traffic. Similarly, I'll make an emergency lane change without signaling.
I put the brake light flasher on my motorcycle without even considering the legality. I didn't care because it made me safer and did not endanger others. End of story.
If I pay the occasional fine, so be it. It's better to pay a fine than to be injured, disabled, or killed.
They are for the to be noticed use. Down low so the user is not dazzled by the on bord equipment they are intended to warn other motorists of your presence and then switched off when they are in close (100ft). They are not intended to help you see better. There are lots of supplemental lights used in venues like rally and such most are not for road use.
hows that for a couple a ducks
karl
I know this isn't the thread this subject should be in, but it was started here, and I couldn't beleave what I read. By Karl's statement, he must never have lived where there is real dense fog. I currently live in a city in WV, and often the radio/news say there is fog, and on the way to work I go out and there isn't any. Maybe a hays you could call fog. I once lived in California in the country, were there is really bad dense fog cuased from the irigation ditches used to water the fields. When traveling in fog you must have your low beams on. If you have the High beams on the light reflects off the fog and into your eyes. The fog lights light up the area that is between your front bumber and your low beams, becuase often in dense fog that is all you can see. If you don't live in Dense fog areas, the the lights are not much use and are usually just for looks. I would say that most people don't need fog lamps, unless you might travel through dense fog.
Now back to the original thread. I think the blinking brake lights is a good idea, and plan on doing it when I get my care in two weeks. It'll be my first mod. With so many people using Cell phones while they drive, I think you need something like this to get there attention.
Now back to the original thread. I think the blinking brake lights is a good idea, and plan on doing it when I get my care in two weeks. It'll be my first mod. With so many people using Cell phones while they drive, I think you need something like this to get there attention.
I installed the GoMiniGo Gen2 pulser and set to the 3-second/6-flash mode. Straightforward installation with plenty of room behind the lamp unit to place it. In the smart wiring, brown is ground (-). The space behind the lamp appears to be clean and dry, but just for more protection I enclosed the circuit board in the little zip-lock bag that holds extra wire and connectors, running the wiring through a snipped corner.
Here in VA, the pulser may be dicey, though they are to be seen occasionally, especially on motorcycles. Perhaps the VA State Police (who run the safety inspection system) will give smarts the same leeway that they give to motorcycles. Never heard of a biker here being hit for a pulser.
"19VAC30-70-190. Signal device (intention to stop or turn), hazard lights, stop lamp.
"D. Inspect for and reject if: …
2. Every passenger car manufactured for the 1986 or subsequent model year … on which a supplemental center high mount stop lamp is mounted shall have the lamp mounted at the vertical center line of the vehicle. The lamps shall be of an approved type and shall function only in conjunction with the stop lamps. The high mount stop lamp must be steady burning and not wired to flash with turn signals or other wig-wag device.***
3. Proper signals do not go on … with slightest pressure on the brake pedal. Turn signals may flash-stop signals may not flash except when the vehicle is equipped with a brake warning system or device which will cause the brake lights to flash when the vehicle is in motion but committed to an emergency or panic stop ### … "
*** The primary intent seems to be, not wired to turn signals or wig-wag (emergency vehicle alternating headlight flashing). A pulser isn’t steady burning, but it isn’t wired to turn signals either – a grey area.
### The smart has sort of such a system, but hazard lights when finally stopped, not brake lights while stopping. Probably does not apply.
Last edited by Old smart; 08-17-2008 at 11:04 AM.
Reason: sp.
This is the same issue we run across on police cruisers. When installing the flashback lights (Brake lights to reverse lights) sometimes they are wired in error. It is ILLEGAL under federal law to flash the CHMSL at any time. I dont want to be an ******* and chances are you wont get caught. But you could fail inspection. Thank god we dont have them in Oklahoma
Smart Car Geek had previously posted that Brake Light Flashers are illegal for use in California - He/She is totally wrong. The following is taken from the current California Motor Vehicle Code Regulations.
"V.C. Section 25251.5. (c) Any stoplamp or supplemental stoplamp required or permitted by Section 24603 may be equipped so as to flash not more than four times within the first four seconds after actuation by application of the brakes"
I'm a Motorcyclist and am totally convinced that these devices used in conjunction with auxiliary high intensity LED brake light units can cause inattentive drivers to wake up and take notice. I use a fully adjustable ultra-compact flasher unit I bought from 3rdbrakeflasher.com driving a Hi-Intensity Red Whelen LIN3 LED light unit and believe me, when I apply my brakes, unless you're blind, you will notice it.
I have my flasher set for no delay so that every time I apply my brakes, my Whelen LED unit flashes 4 times in approximately 2.5 seconds then goes steady on until I release the brakes. On at least two occasions, I've been stopped at traffic signals at night where I noticed drivers approaching fast from my rear that did not seem to notice the red signal. By releasing my brakes and repeatably re-applying them to actuate the flasher circuit, I'm almost certain I caused the approaching drivers to take notice and avoid rear-ending me.
Yes, I agree that some people might be annoyed by a brake light that flashes a few times but I've never had someone say it was annoying. On the contrary, I've had quite a few drivers and one Police Officer compliment me as to how eye-catching and visible the unit makes me when I'm braking.
Yep. Brake light pulsars (and headlamp modulators, if you're so inclined) are 50-state legal. Researched that issue to death when adding both to my motorcycles.
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