How Does a Brake Light Work?
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Sudden Stop
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Many an accident can occur if you have faulty brake lights. Without a way to indicate that you plan to stop or have stopped your vehicle, you can cause a traffic pileup of other cars coming to a sudden stop behind you. Worse, you could be rear-ended by a fast-moving vehicle whose driver just didn't see you. By understanding how brake lights work, you can prevent this from happening.
The Brake System
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The brake system in your car may be its most important safety feature. A 1,000-lb. vehicle moving at 35 miles per hour can be very difficult to stop. If a driver put on the brakes full-on at that speed, it would take at least 45 feet to come to a stop--and that's on an average road in perfect conditions. A road covered in heavy fog, torrential rain or blinding snow can affect the driver's reaction time. This is why having good brake lights can help keep you safe. The better an oncoming driver can see you, the better the chance he can stop his vehicle before slamming into yours.
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How Your Brake Lights Work
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Brake lights work via a wire and switch electrical system in your car. The brake light is often housed under a bright red, semi-opaque light cover. The can come in varying wattages from a dim 5 watts to an ultra-bright 50 watt halogen bulb.
The bulbs are connected to wires that run from the rear of the car to under your brake pedal. Under the brake pedal is a special plunger switch that is connected to your battery via a wire that travels through your fuse box. Whenever the brake pedal is pressed, it pushes down on the plunger, closing the power circuit for the wires and telling them to illuminate your brake lights. Whenever the pedal is lifted, the plunger comes up and opens the circuit again, shutting off power to the lamps.
Troubleshooting Bad Brake Lights
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The 2 Car Pros website (see Resources) offers plenty of troubleshooting advice if your brake lights aren't working well. If your brake lights don't come on all the time, you can check the switch to see if it is sticking. Brake light switches are easy to replace on your own; you can avoid paying a mechanic for an hour's labor on a repair job you can do in 20 minutes. If your light doesn't come on at all, check to see if the bulb has burned out, and check the fuse box to see if you need to replace the fuse.
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