Why do cars have two headlights and two rear lights?
The main purposes of lights are to be able to view what is around you, and to make you visible to others. By putting lights at the corner of the car, it maximizes the visibility and let's others see where the edges of your car are. By spreading the headlights as far apart as possible it gives better illumination. There have been cars with continuous lights across the back and some with 3rd headlights which point in the direction you are turning as well as ncluding fog lights etc to increase light output, but the basic lights at all corners is the simplest and most effective way of achieving a visible car which illuminates the road ahead.
Why don't racecars have brake lights (NASCAR)?
It's really interesting howmany people will answer a semi-technical question when they have absolutely NO knowledge of how to race. NASCAR drivers most definately DO use the brakes, and use them pretty harshly at almost every track, except for Daytona and Talladega, where the throttle is held wide open all of the way around the track. Racefanvote is right on the reason they don't have them in NASCAR, but on a side note, my race car does have them. in fact, it is written in the rule book, in the sanctioning body I ran under, that our cars MUST have working taillights, as well as a working horn. No, I don't run mini-stocks, or hornets, or Pro-4, I run off road.
Why do cars need tail lights?
They are anti-collision lights. At night our vision is poor, especially on dark, moonless nights where there is no electric lighting. Imagine driving on a country lane on a moonless night, no streetlamps exist either. You’d have to rely on your own car’s headlamps to illuminate the car ahead of you. Then you’d have to try to determine the speed of that car (how much slower is he moving that you?) before hitting him. Now repeat that exercise thinking of cars painted black, gray, or dark green.Cars have tail lights so you can see them well ahead of you on the roadway. Once you see the tail lights you know there is another car and can take appropriate action regarding your speed if needed. So why two tail lights? Ever try to look at a single point of light in the distance and determine how fast it’s approaching? It’s very difficult if you don’t know the size of the object. Two tail lights present a “width” to our eyes. We may not know how far apart they actually are at a distance (e.g. 6 feet/2 meters or just about 2 feet/.6 meters) but we can see how rapidly they are diverging from each other as we get closer.
Rear-ending someone with no brake lights?
:: You would still be at fault for following too close and not maintaining a safe distance. The driver in front has no idea what you're doing while you are at the back and could see what's happening. You would have the last opportunity to avoid the accident, and if the accident were to happen it would be because of your negligence.
My brake lights don't work, but my tail lights do. What should I do?
Check the brake light fuse in fuse box that could be blown, and also check to see if the brake light switch is bad, it should be located under the dash and the plunger of the switch should be touching the brake pedal arm. Also check, if they are on the same bulb, that the combination brake light, and taillight bulbs are in working order, or if separate bulbs, that the brake light bulbs are not blown out.If all of those components are in working order, and the brake lights still do not operate, then all of the wiring from the fuse box to the brake light switch, to the brake lights and to the bulb sockets will need to be checked for broken wires, and loose, or corroded connections at any of the above mentioned components.
How much would it cost to rewire a tail light of a car?
there is usually around 2 hours work in rewiring a set of rear lights but I don't know if your car model is different, have never heard of it. mechanics labour is usually between 30-60 quid an hour
What fuse(s) correspond to my dashboard lights and rear lamps?
Fuse #24 in the fuse panel under the driver's side dash is the fuse for the instrument cluster lamps and the brake lamps. It is a 15 amp fuse. Fuse # 31 is also for the cluster and license plate lamp, it is a 7.5 amp fuse. If fuse # 24 is blown and blows repeatedly, a closer look at the brake lamp switch should be done, these have a tendency to go bad or have broken wiring at the switch.
Why don't car brake lights turn on when it is engine braking?
I think that they should come on if the rate of deceleration is sufficient. And they should flash, this had been shown to increase their effectiveness compared to lights that just switch on, which have less impact at night when rear lights are already on.Its even more relevant to electric vehicles some of which can slow down almost to a complete stop using no traditional brakes, essentially engine (motor) braking. I own an EV and sometimes, even though my regenerative braking is fairly modest compared with later EV’s, it surprises vehicles behind me that I am slowing down without showing any brake lights.It was easy when cars were much less developed and varied than they are now, to just fit a switch above the brake pedal which turns on the brake lights if the pedal is pressed and the contacts in the switch open, but modern vehicles have become much more complicated. An accelerometer system in the rear light units themselves, might be the best way to achieve this, if the rate of deceleration exceeds a level which could be determined by testing/simulation to see what generates the greatest safety, then the brake lights come on.Whether you are using friction brakes, an engine, a motor (or a parachute) to slow down, it should be indicated to the driver behind automatically.If the idea of flashing all 3 brake lights doesn’t appeal how about just flashing the central brake light?It is high time brake lights got an overhaul.EDIT - on reflection if there were a change to brake light triggering mechanisms then there would also have to be a change to standard safety tests like the U MOT test which uses rollers to measure braking force, at the same time the brake lights are marked as working or not, so a slightly different test would have to be devised if they went with the accelerometer, as the car would be stationary during the test.
Tail lights wont turn off?
I would bet on it being your brake lights rather than your tail lights. Try this, Hook the battery back up, look at your rear lights, would be better if someone else was looking, Now turn on your head lights and see if the tail lights get brighter. If they do then it is your stop lights that are staying on and I would then suspect that you have a faulty stop light switch. You did not mention what make/model or year of your vehicle but some manufacturers put the stop light switch right on the brake pedal underneath the dash board. Others may have put it on to the master cylinder under the hood. When you find it disconnect it and see if those lights don't go out..