July_2021 - 32

SPOTLIGHT ON BODY & CAB
» Pulsating brake-activated lamps, in addition to standard steadyburning
brake lamps, can help avoid rear-end collisions.
Photo courtesy of Optronics International | USA Harness International
Pulsating brake lamps
and their impact on
fleet equipment
How fleets can benefit
from current FMCSA
brake light regulation
exemptions.
By David Brierley
I
Image courtesy of
Grote Industries
32 Fleet Maintenance | July 2021
t may come as no surprise that traffic accidents
due to distracted driving have increased sharply
in recent years. A large percentage of the U.S.
population using smartphones and a still relatively
small percentage of vehicles on the road
today equipped with advanced driver assistance
systems is a recipe for disaster. As drivers text a
friend or scroll through social media, their attention
is diverted from the task at hand-driving-
and many of them will unintentionally collide
with another vehicle or stationary object.
Vehicles are required to have working brake
lights and turn signals to notify drivers behind
them what they are doing and help mitigate
these accidents, but many times these are not
enough to command a smartphone user's attention.
Increasingly, heavy-duty trucks are being
rear-ended by distracted drivers.
A collision poses a danger to the lives of both
parties, and it can be costly as well; not only in
vehicle repair or replacement, but also in litigation
should the driver of the rear vehicle blame the
driver of the truck or the equipment involved (e.g.
inadequate trailer lighting).
For these reasons, some in the industry seek to
add an extra safety device to the rear of trucks and
trailers in order to grab the attention of distracted
drivers: brake-activated, pulsating lamps in
addition to standard steady-burning brake lamps.
While some of these lights consistently pulsate,
others pulse before changing to a steady burn that
matches the standard brake lights.
" These lights create a novel, strobe-like lighting
state when they first come on, before settling on a
solid on state, " said Marcus Hester, vice president
of sales and marketing for Optronics International
| USA Harness International. " By running this
two-state sequence, pulsating brake lights are more
likely to attract the attention of others on the road.
Because they initially pulsate, they are different
from the solid or relatively slowly blinking lighting
patterns that are usually encountered and are
more reminiscent of emergency vehicle lighting. "
Tanker fleet Groendyke Transport did a study
with 500 of their trailers to test the effectiveness
of this additional light.
" Groendyke Transport started installing flashing
lights tied to their brake circuit, " said Mark
Blackford, director of national fleet sales at Grote

July_2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July_2021

Uptime
Editor's Note
Is an alignment the answer?
Technician training in 3-D
What fleets should know about cybersecurity
Pulsating brake lamps and their impact on fleet equipment
The great brake balancing act
Complex versus complicated maintenance
Technician shortage toolkit
TMC SuperTech returns for 2021
Fleet Parts & Components
Tools & Equipment
Classifieds
Evolution oF heavy-duty engine oils
July_2021 - 1
July_2021 - 2
July_2021 - 3
July_2021 - 4
July_2021 - 5
July_2021 - 6
July_2021 - 7
July_2021 - Uptime
July_2021 - 9
July_2021 - Editor's Note
July_2021 - 11
July_2021 - Is an alignment the answer?
July_2021 - 13
July_2021 - 14
July_2021 - 15
July_2021 - 16
July_2021 - 17
July_2021 - Technician training in 3-D
July_2021 - 19
July_2021 - 20
July_2021 - 21
July_2021 - 22
July_2021 - 23
July_2021 - 24
July_2021 - 25
July_2021 - 26
July_2021 - 27
July_2021 - What fleets should know about cybersecurity
July_2021 - 29
July_2021 - 30
July_2021 - 31
July_2021 - Pulsating brake lamps and their impact on fleet equipment
July_2021 - 33
July_2021 - The great brake balancing act
July_2021 - 35
July_2021 - Complex versus complicated maintenance
July_2021 - Technician shortage toolkit
July_2021 - TMC SuperTech returns for 2021
July_2021 - 39
July_2021 - 40
July_2021 - 41
July_2021 - 42
July_2021 - 43
July_2021 - 44
July_2021 - 45
July_2021 - 46
July_2021 - 47
July_2021 - Fleet Parts & Components
July_2021 - Classifieds
July_2021 - Evolution oF heavy-duty engine oils
July_2021 - 51
July_2021 - 52
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