Dan W

Are they after market or put there by some manufacturers?

I was thinking it must be the latter as its easier to notice them.

I heard the other day also that all new cars have to be fitted with front lights that are permanently on so some manufacturers are fitting those small white lights.

Does anyone know?

Lord Bass

I've noticed strobe brake lights on some cars on Top Gear but i've always thought it was some kind of camera trick lol

Ads78

iTrader: (2)

I thought it might be when under heavy braking and ABS was kicking in?

Dan W

Well looking at the number of views this thread has recieved compared to the number of replies it looks like most people dont really know.

Oh well

Tidgy

might be LED lights and the camera's playing tricks.

i've got a vid of me driving my car and looks like a load of the LED's have gone in my spoiler. to the naked eye there fine.

Dan W

Aye thats a fair point. I have only seen them on the TV so perhaps the camera is playing tricks.

Moley

iTrader: (9)

I've seen it aswell when watching Top Gear, especially when they tested the Ford GT

war1974

am sure the law states lights must be solid or something like that so cant see them being allowed to strobe??

Scooby Soon!

Jaguars and new sprinter vans have Adaptive Brake Lights but I think its the hazards that flash under heavy breaking not the brake lights.

camcap

iTrader: (1)

Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo,[62] and BMW have released vehicles equipped to convey a special light signal when the vehicle is braked rapidly and severely. This is officially referred to as Emergency Stop Signal, and ECE Regulation 48 calls for the lamps providing the ESS to flash at 4 Hz when a passenger car decelerates at greater than 6 m/s2 or a truck or bus decelerates at greater than 4 m/s2.[15] Mercedes vehicles flash the stop lamps for the ESS, while vehicles from the Volkswagen Group of manufacturers (VW, Audi, Seat & Skoda) flash the hazard flashers.

Other methods of severe-braking indication have also been implemented; some Volvo models make the stop lamps brighter, and some BMWs have "Adaptive Brake Lights" that effectively increase the size of the stop lights under severe braking by illuminating the tail lamps at brighter-than-normal intensity. As long as the brighter-than-normal stop lamps are within the regulated maximum intensity for stop lamps in general, this kind of implementation does not require specific regulatory approval since the stop lamps are under all conditions operating in accord with the general regulations on stop lamps.

The idea behind such emergency-braking indicator systems is to catch following drivers' attention with special urgency. However, there remains considerable debate over whether the system offers a measurable increase in safety performance. To date, studies of vehicles in service have not shown any significant such improvement. The systems used by BMW, Volvo, and Mercedes differ not only in operational mode (growing vs. intensifying vs. flashing, respectively), but also in such parameters as deceleration threshold of activation. Data are being collected and analyzed in an effort to determine how such a system might be implemented to maximize a safety benefit, if such a benefit can be realized with visual emergency braking displays

Eternal Rage

iTrader: (7)

I have seen a few newish cars sat at the lights with the brake lights flashing on/off, almost reminds me of the old 80/90's fords when the water had set into the electrical system

Dan W

Particularly MKIV escorts or late 80s sierras. As one light flashed on another went off. Usually the indicators and rear night lights.

Ahhhh them were the days

super_ted

iTrader: (30)

most new car & vans have the front lights on perminatly now. a bit like all new motor bikes from roughly 2005, you can not turn the lights off when engine is running. Its a safety feature to make them stand out more during daylight hours.