Safer brake lights

[Voripteth]

Add an accelerometer to detect when the Volt is slowing due to driving in "Low mode" and make the brake lights turn on. (In addition to when pressing the brake pedal.)

Kinda the same way as we don't have a "gas pedal" any more, the "brake lights" should be called "deceleration lights".

[scottf200]

No worries.

I drove a stick Mini Cooper and a motorcycle the other week and downshifted to slow down without a brake light.

This topic has been vehemently talked about at GREAT length.

Try this in google:
site:gm-volt.com accelerometer

[DonC]

I see this comment all the time but do we have a single example of a Volt being rear ended because the brake lights didn't go on when the Volt was slowing because of regen? I've never had an issue. If the driver behind you can't see a car slowing down then I'm not sure that adding a light will matter. Plus there is a big difference between how fast you decelerate when using the brakes and using regen.

Maybe we should have lights that go from green to yellow to red. Those would give other drivers great information about how fast you were slowing. On the other hand the people I've know who have been rear ended have all been completely stopped in traffic or at a red light so I'm not sure this would help much.

[Automotive Motivation]

This makes a lot of sense. Regenerative braking in "L" can slow the car much quicker than gentle application of the service brakes.

[hamchief]

I always drive in "L" and have never had a problem. However, the other day someone pulled up alongside of me to tell me that my brake lights weren't working. Later, I was in front of him and I hit the brakes a few times...he gave me a "thumbs up" in the mirror.

[ShannonVolt]

This is indeed a hot topic. I use the low mode in my Volt daily and have found that tailgaters are the ones to watch out for from the beginning. Tailgaters and low mode do not mix. For this example I lift my accelerater pedal "slightly" so I don't go into a full blown low mode regen. While I do this I will tap my brake to let them know I'm slowing down even though your an idiot for tailgating me. In the state of VA, if you rear end someone its automatically you fault. I just don't want to mess up my new Volt's tail.

[mikeg3]

An accelerometer is hardware and will not be a retrofit unless there is a serious bodily injury accident. However, the Volt computers know when regen is in effect and can command the brake lights to either go on or just flash to warn tailgaters.

BTW, in really heavy traffic (think Long Island Expressway) almost everyone is a tailgater. Regen is very green in that situation but even ICE vehicles get on either side of a rear-ender all the time.

I hope GM deems this a safety issue and adds it to the fix list for the next software refresh.

[Steverino]

Yes, all manual transmissions must now have the brake lights go on when downshifting. Not.

This (having brake lights go on when NOT using the brake) is unneeded. Hit the darn brake peddle if you want to brake lights to go on. You have a right foot, use it. Problem solved, no extra cost.

[davemac616]

Gah, ever drive behind someone whose brake lights are coming on ALL THE TIME?

[jeo]

I disagree. Brake lights are called brake lights because they indicate braking, not slowing down. One has to be careful in changing long standing, well understood functionality.

If the brake lights are insufficient for the Volt, then they should be redesigned, but should only come on when the brake pedal is used.

Additionally, brake lights (and how they are used by some people) are a root cause of many traffic jams beyond just too many physical vehicles. Brake light use has been shown in computer models to create traffic build-up whereas if people just maintained safe distance and a safe speed, most traffic build-up which is a root cause of jams would be reduced.

Having the vehicle turn brake lights on by just slowing down would contribute to that problem (granted the number of Volts in traffic jams is low at the moment).