Automotive

Fix your brake lights on your cars!!!!!

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  • Apr 11th, 2006 9:49 pm
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Nov 28, 2005
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devious9191 wrote:As part of your safety alert, you should add:

- Don't speed
- Don't 'half pay attention' to the person in front of you
And don't tailgate a non-speeding car. I must confess that I sometimes INTENTIONALLY use the gear (as mentioned by another member here) to slow down the car instead of the brake to teach the tailgater behind a lesson.
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Aug 26, 2001
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going off on a slight tangent, if any of you have current-gen. Toyota Corolla's, you should quickly verify that both of your brake lights (L and R) are working. i've noticed an abnormally large number of current-gen 'Rollas with only 1 of the 2 brake lights working. it stands out because i don't notice the same thing on Toy's other models, i.e. Camry's, or even any of the Honda's.
Jr. Member
Feb 23, 2005
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I don't think you should fix your radio and drive @ 120 on the highway, because you don't pay full attention to the road, and it is dangerous!
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May 18, 2004
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teknoluv wrote:And don't tailgate a non-speeding car. I must confess that I sometimes INTENTIONALLY use the gear (as mentioned by another member here) to slow down the car instead of the brake to teach the tailgater behind a lesson.

so if he slams into you are you going to be happy? intentionally making it more unsafe on the roads can not be justified under the assumption that you are giving the other person a "lesson". two wrongs dont make a right.
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lovelimelody wrote:I don't think you should fix your radio and drive @ 120 on the highway, because you don't pay full attention to the road, and it is dangerous!
You've never changed radio stations while driving on the 401?
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Apr 19, 2002
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The car that slammed on it's brakes wasn't packed with like 4 to 6 people was it? I heard about an insurance scam where people load up a car and drive around causing rear-enders by intentionally slamming on their brakes in front of another driver.

This was on some news show (W5?) I saw a while ago. Is it still happening in TO? They would make some outrageous insurance claims to cover their strangely persisting MVA "injuries."
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The_Madz wrote:so if he slams into you are you going to be happy? intentionally making it more unsafe on the roads can not be justified under the assumption that you are giving the other person a "lesson". two wrongs dont make a right.
Let me clarify a bit: I am not intentionally making it unsafe, I am intentionally making it difficult for the tailgater. Using your gear to slow down is the CORRECT way, it's just that because too many drivers are used to brake outright that brake lights become a signal for slowing down. Moreover, by using the gear, I am NOT like suddenly braking; it's actually SAFER! But yes, it does teach those stupid tailgaters a lesson ... of how to drive, and that they do NOT know too much about driving (like you can slow down a car without hitting the brake right away). Last but not least, I'm NOT talking about some highway driving here.
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Nov 12, 2003
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Driving a 0.8 to 2 kg vehicle on a highway requires intelligence, discipline and reflexes.

1- Don't speed.

2- Don't take your attention off the road.

3- Always keep a 2-second distance between you and the guy in front.

(This is what you learned in driving school umpteen years ago and that you probably forgot.)

If you (or I) don't follow these simple rules, you risk your life or that of the person in front of you. It's your choice, and it's that simple. No cop-out, no ifs or buts.
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hover42 wrote:Driving a 0.8 to 2 kg vehicle on a highway requires intelligence, discipline and reflexes.

1- Don't speed.

2- Don't take your attention off the road.

3- Always keep a 2-second distance between you and the guy in front.

(This is what you learned in driving school umpteen years ago and that you probably forgot.)

If you (or I) don't follow these simple rules, you risk your life or that of the person in front of you. It's your choice, and it's that simple. No cop-out, no ifs or buts.
Who exactly are you directing your post towards? And what kind of vehicles have you been driving that only way 2 kg? If my car only weighed 2 kg, I would pick it up and throw it at people that pissed me off. lol
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hover42 wrote:Driving a 0.8 to 2 kg vehicle on a highway requires intelligence, discipline and reflexes.
Indeed, driving such a lightweight vehicle on a modern 400-series highway would certainly require substantial skill... :lol: :lol:

If you (or I) don't follow these simple rules, you risk your life or that of the person in front of you.
Your life would be risked, yes. But chances are, the person in front of you is in a vehicle which weighs more than 2 kg so I'm sure he'll be fine. :D
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Nov 12, 2003
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Shaner wrote:Who exactly are you directing your post towards? And what kind of vehicles have you been driving that only way 2 kg? If my car only weighed 2 kg, I would pick it up and throw it at people that pissed me off. lol
I admit it, I made an obvious mistake. I was thinking in terms of tons, so my statement should have referred to 800 kg to 2000 kg vehicles. That was an OBVIOUS mistake.

You, on the other hand, are skirting the issue, which is also OBVIOUS. You are avoiding the simple fact that YOU made a mistake and are trying to pass on your mistake to the driver of the car ahead of you. Classic case of the "It's the other guy's fault" syndrome. :cheesygri
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hover42 wrote:I admit it, I made an obvious mistake. I was thinking in terms of tons, so my statement should have referred to 800 kg to 2000 kg vehicles. That was an OBVIOUS mistake.

You, on the other hand, are skirting the issue, which is also OBVIOUS. You are avoiding the simple fact that YOU made a mistake and are trying to pass on your mistake to the driver of the car ahead of you. Classic case of the "It's the other guy's fault" syndrome. :cheesygri
What mistake did I make?
I wasn't tailgating at all, believe me, if I was I would have driven right through the car in front of me. There was more than two seconds between us, thankfully.
Yes, I was speeding, but I was doing 120 and the person in front of me was doing about the same. I had been behind him for maybe a few minutes, but didn't notice he didn't have working brake lights.
I wasn't half-paying attention. I was changing the radio station, but that doesn't mean I can't watch the car in front of me too. I glance down at the radio to find the knob, look back up, and continue to glance at the radio and the road every second or so.

That's like saying you can't check your rearview mirror and watch the road at the same time.

If he had working brake lights, I would have stopped with tons of room. But it took me a second to figure out that he had hit the brakes (for a reason still unknown to me).
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May 17, 2004
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ugh...when I was driving today, this woman stopped suddenly in front of me and then just started reversing towards me to get into a parking spot....the kicker? no turn signal (if it was even working) AND even worse, her reverse lights did not come on!!!
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Apr 13, 2003
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mlc2000 wrote:Get off this little rant.

I have an 03 Jetta, haven't replaced a single bulb.
In fact, the car has been very good, except for some minor things, which all cars suffer. Even Honda.
Just wait. If you have the car for 4 years I know you will go through at least one set of headlights, and probably a set of brakelights as well.
You might also get to replace your brake light switch that fails randomly. They are on their fifth version of the switch now...maybe 5th time is the charm
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new_vr wrote:Just wait. If you have the car for 4 years I know you will go through at least one set of headlights, and probably a set of brakelights as well.
You might also get to replace your brake light switch that fails randomly. They are on their fifth version of the switch now...maybe 5th time is the charm
I have a 2000 Sunfire with 230,000 km's on it. I've never had to replace my headlights or brake lights or the switch.
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Jan 11, 2004
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The_Madz wrote:yeah i see that a lot, manual drivers just down shifting to slow down instead of breaking. I heard some saying the reason for this is they dont want to wear their brakes :rolleyes:

so those cars you see who have their brake lights out may just be newbie manual drivers with the attitude that if you drive into them it's all your fault.
Funny thing is clutches cost a lot more than brake pads.
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Feb 23, 2005
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hover42 wrote:...
You, on the other hand, are skirting the issue, which is also OBVIOUS. You are avoiding the simple fact that YOU made a mistake and are trying to pass on your mistake to the driver of the car ahead of you. Classic case of the "It's the other guy's fault" syndrome. :cheesygri
Totally Agreed!
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lovelimelody wrote:Totally Agreed!
Agree with what? I'll ask again since I didn't get an answer the first time. What did I do wrong?
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That's completely moronic. You should have given this person an ear full and if he gave you attitude, a swift kick in the arse would of suffice and fully justified.

I would be angry if my life came within an inch of ending like that because of some douche bag.

I'm surprised you didn't lose it, considering your last altercation involving roller blades.
Joe Zawinul
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Shaner wrote:Agree with what? I'll ask again since I didn't get an answer the first time. What did I do wrong?

You know full well they're referring to the fact that you should have your eyes on the road at all times. Changing radio station while doing 120 clicks isn't the wisest thing.
Joe Zawinul
1932 - 2007

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