Let's pretend brake lights will be banned tomorrow

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

Daft thought I had - indulge me for a sec. Imagine brake lights are outlawed tomorrow and no vehicles have them any more (APART FROM YOUR OWN BIKE) - would you change the way you ride, and if so how?

Would you allow a much further gap between you and the vehicle in front? Would you be looking further ahead for possible turn offs that the vehicle in front might take, and thus slow down for? Would you just generally try to become more aware of deceleration by other vehicles?

And, if you answered yes to some, all and (or) other similar questions, do you think it'd ever be helpful to ride as though other vehicles didn't have brake lights? If so, when (apart from when you're out of your sweet little mind on crack and booze)?

NB, as you can tell, I haven't given much of this a great deal of thought, but I'm still interested to get some replies, even if they are rude, unhelpful and reveal the replier to be part twunt, part vole.
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"Life is a sexually transmitted disease and the mortality rate is one hundred percent."

Mobylette Type 50 ---> Raleigh Grifter ---> Neval Minsk 125

[i.p.phrealy]

i've always sat back a bit from what's in front, never rear ended anyone.
there was a scam a few years back in Coventry where a gang of insurance scammers were disabling their brake lights and claiming they hadn't, then causing crashes. they were claiming thousands.
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it is impossible to lick your own elbow...
and if you just tried you need professional help.
Finally allowed a big bike 19/03/14!

[andyscooter]

would make no difference round here as most cars dont seem to work
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gilera runner vxr200 (chavped)
if its spelt wrong its my fat fingers and daft auto correct on my tablet

[Baffler186]

I don't want to sound like Mr perfect, but I do all of the above anyway. The few times I've had to brake hard in traffic was when i let my concentration lapse and i wasn't looking ahead, but rather staring at the back of the car in front.

Also, many cars turn off without braking, some even turn off without indicating, so as I've said I keep my distance anyway.

I can't be certain if I pay more attention to the brake lights or the fact that the vehicle is physically stopping, hard to say having never ridden behind a car with no brake lights.
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Current: 2009 SV650 S, 1990 Kawasaki GT550
Previous: 2009 CBF125, 1998 GSF600, 2004 FZ6 Fazer, 1978 CB400a Hondamatic

[thx1138]

I rarely use my brakes anyway except for the last couple of metres

[P.]

I don't have a brake light anyway.... I would continue riding as I do.

[tbourner]

With the growth in electric and hybrid vehicles people are engine braking a lot more now, so it's a valid concern. I'm not sure if any manufacturers are making the brake lights come on during heavy engine braking?
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Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[beardface]

ban indicators instead, much more fun.

[conker]

[iooi]

[pinkyfloyd]

Wouldnt need to change my riding. I keep enough distance between the car in front.
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illuminateTHEmind wrote: I am just more evolved than most of you guys... this allows me to pick of things quickly which would have normally taken the common man years to master
Hockeystorm65:.well there are childish arguments...there are very childish arguments.....there are really stupid childish arguments and now there are......Pinkfloyd arguments!
Teflon-Mike:I think I agree with just about all Pinky has said.

[dydey90]

[G30]

Sure brake lights help but if you need some red light to help you stop in time you're too dumb to be on the road.
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KTM RC390 -- Kawa ER6f -- Yam YZF R125 -- Yam YBR 125

[Rogerborg]

I do assume that everyone else is as totally awesomest as me and therefore rarely uses brakes. Can't recall the last time I've had to rely on brake lights for information about what a vehicle is doing.

[map]

[mikesaa309]

when I did my Mod 2 lessons my instructor insisted to use engine braking more than brakes. Made sense in the fact it'll be less wear on your brake pads but I argued about showing a stop light.

She said that by showing a stop light you cause the person behind to panic and they brake and if you cause someone to brake on your test it's a fail. I was like what? Surely if the person behind panics they're too fucking close?

I prefer to use a brake light but I do engine brake quite a bit if the car behind is a good distance away so he's got reaction time otherwise I'll use my brakes. Although if what I'm slowing down for is something obvious like traffic lights then would only usually brake with in the last few metres.

That said though with most car drivers lacking in concentration, changing the CD over of trying to find that song on there phone to play through the stereo system, I would prefer to show a stop light in some situations to try and prevent a rear ender.

[tbourner]

I was told the opposite! In fact I struggled cos I'm used to using engine braking more than the brakes in the car and my DAS instructor kept telling me to use the brakes and not the gears!

That was partly due to me being in too high a gear, like you do in a car, but he did mention the safety aspect of showing brake lights a couple of times.
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Trev, now a biker?
Looking for first big bike.

[Rogerborg]

[trevor saxe-coburg-gotha]

[beardface]

[Marmalade]

Imagine if drivers had to manually switch on brake lights, the pile ups that would occur with people not bothering as it'd be oh so much trouble like with indicators.

That said, bike riders are far worse in the not indicating stakes than people in cars but then moan about it the most.
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[iooi]

[Rogerborg]

[stinkwheel]

They are very useful to warn you of problems up ahead on motorways.
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“Rule one: Always stick around for one more drink. That's when things happen. That's when you find out everything you want to know.”
I did the 2010 Round Britain Rally on my 350 Bullet. 89 landmarks, 3 months, 9,500 miles.

[MarkJ]