Why don't cars have brake lights on the front?
As a resident in the Netherlands, I take part in traffic by bike on a daily basis. One of my major problems is that communication between cars and bicycles can be difficult.
I believe that regulating cars to have brake lights on the front might help communication in traffic and make traffic safer.
While cars have turn signals and headlights, these don’t clearly indicate when a driver is slowing down, especially for pedestrians and cyclists. This can lead to hesitation, miscommunication, and even accidents.
The agony of pedestrians that cross at the worst time
Imagine you’re a pedestrian or cyclist approaching a crossing. A car is coming fast—do you cross?
Maybe it’s slowing down, but its blinkers suggest a turn. Is it stopping for you or just taking the turn carefully? Maybe the driver noticed you and is coasting, but they’re still moving. Do you cross?
By the time the car finally stops, you realize this whole dance wasted time for both of you.
There's comedy sketches ridiculing this situation on the internet, and it's an annoying experience for all drivers, cyclists and pedestrians involved.
Cars among one another don't have this problem. They can't see other drivers' body language so they'll have to trust that everyone follows priority rules correctly.
Cyclists don’t have this issue either. They notoriously ignore traffic rules, but at least they can read each other’s body language. Priority usually goes to the one who pretends hardest they don’t see the other person.
Pedestrians still bump into one another, but this is rarely deadly.
It's the unique combination of car drivers, whose body language is hard to read, and bikers that ignore traffic rules. As a result, neither really knows what the other is up to.
Frontal brake lights
Brake lights clearly signal to drivers behind, 'Look, I’m decelerating,' and they work. Even the 3rd brake light on the back has demonstrated to improve safety on the road, and I believe that frontal brake lights might do the same.
From my understanding, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) seems to regulate vehicles in the European Union. As an individual, I cannot simply join one of their meetings and ask “what about frontal brake lights?” But member state representatives can.
If you agree this could improve road safety, consider raising the idea with your local representatives. I'll be reaching out to mine to see if this can gain traction at the UNECE level. If you're more knowledgeable on the topic, feel free to reach out to me on Matrix or get in touch through the Fediverse. I'd like to hear whether this is a good idea before I'm trying to pursue it politically.
Until then, whenever you find yourself hesitating at a crossing, ask yourself—would frontal brake lights have made this easier? If so, let’s make it happen.
#politics #regulation #frontalbrakelights #traffic
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