"Attention required" high intensity lighting is mapped into what it should have been in the first place: brake-lights' functionality now includes engine-braking and emergency-brake deployment, and reversing-lights now include coasting backwards.

At a non-intrusive intensity, intuitive "traffic light" colours indicate ac/deceleration or constant-speed.

Informational colours, also at a low intensity, indicate classes of drivers which are most likely to deviate unexpectedly from normal driving actions and reactions.

Low ("parking lights") intensity (colour determined by wheel rotational-speed):
• Green - vehicle is accelerating
• Orange - vehicle is moving at a steady'ish speed
• Red - vehicle is decelerating or stopped

High ("brake lights") intensity, determined by operator control:
• Red: mechanical or engine-braking
• White - reverse gear engaged and/or vehicle is moving backwards.
• Orange - turn signals, 4-ways (emergency flashers)
________

A secondary set of low-intensity lights can be added, towhit:
• Yellow - student or probationary driver
• Blue (reserved) - police or emergency vehicle
________

And, of course, not to be left out:
• purple - autonomous vehicle
• black - broken tail-light.
-------------------

-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2012

riff plucked from a discussion in Green_20Tail_20Lights
[FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2012]

though I love the look of these *smoked* tail lights, they are difficult to see even when lit http://www.american...cementV1&adtype=pla
[xandram, Oct 31 2012]

21st century rainbow squirrel! http://farm6.static...63_e010690250_z.jpg
[xandram, Oct 31 2012]

You know, the current system is starting to look pretty good.
-- DIYMatt, Oct 31 2012


Don't get me wrong: I believe that drivers should keep their eyes on the road and shouldn't have to rely on things such as daytime running lights on other vehicles to avoid plowing into them, for the simple reason that it makes things that don't have DLR, such as pedestrians, less obvious.

But this isn't about recognizing the simple presence of a vehicle on the road.

The driver of the car behind you doesn't care what you're up to: they care what your vehicle is up to.

A vehicle without cruise-control heading down a hill will naturally speed up, up a hill slow down: any reason that those delta-V's shouldn't be conveyed to the driver behind ?

Engine-braking (operator or cruise-control induced) should be conveyed to trailing vehicles. Likewise is there any reason a car rolling backwards shouldn't have its reversing-lights on ?

And of course cops and novice drivers are the most likely to do something out of the ordinary while driving.

The scheme does butt up against the current system a little, but can overlap. The only actual problem I can see is getting confused with the orange in person's vehicle in front indicating a steady speed, and the orange on a traffic light which means speed up or slow down.
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2012


The only modification that really needs to be made is having "deceleration lights" instead of brake lights. The normal brake lights should come on anytime a car is slowing down by coasting or engine braking, and hard braking should flash the lights (which some cars already do).
-- DIYMatt, Oct 31 2012


well... _acceleration_ is more an info thing: it can give a headsup of general traffic conditions.

_deceleration_ on the other hand is an attention thing. I think it'd be good to differentiate between the vehicle slowing from say going uphill, and the operator wilfully applying the binders for some reason: the former the trailing driver is probably already aware of the possibility (having seen the hill), the latter may be something they haven't noticed.

And of course there's the going downhill on cruise-control, where a trailing driver might reasonably expect a vehicle to speed up a bit, but CC keeps it at a steady pace, so having a braking light come on, even though the car isn't decelerating, is reasonable.
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2012


In truth- the coolest 21 century tail light is a black cover called *smoked*. I love the look on the car, but they are difficult to see even when lit. [see link]

Sorry, but the gay population have used the rainbows all over their cars! (no offense to anyone)
-- xandram, Oct 31 2012


Ive been a fan of dark-smoked glass for ages (though not specifically on cars). Its direct opposite: clear glass, also looks rather striking with some colour schemes/designs.

Can't say as I've noticed any rainbow cars since the '60s, despite a large local'ish population of alternatively-sexed individuals.
-- FlyingToaster, Oct 31 2012



random, halfbakery