Tesla's Dynamic Brake Lights Should Push U.S. Automakers To Follow Suit

Tesla has a reputation for using its over-the-air update capability to incrementally increase its cars' safety and usability. Hopefully this tech will become common in the U.S.

By: Steven Loveday

Apr 1, 2019 at 5:00pm ET

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Tesla continuously works to make its cars safer.

In a recent Tesla Model 3 update to owners in Europe, Tesla added features like Sentry Mode, Dog Mode, Peak Power Increase, and Navigate on Autopilot. In addition, a new feature coined Dynamic Brake Lights rolls out. Its purpose is to better alert other drivers that the car is stopping quickly and, potentially, unexpectedly.

If the Model 3 driver engages hard braking at speeds in excess of 31 mph, the new safety feature kicks in. Teslarati first reported about the update and obtained release notes via DutchDeity on Reddit (r/TeslaMotors). The notes read:

If you are driving over 50 km/h and brake forcefully, the brake lights will now flash quickly to warn other drivers that your car is rapidly slowing down,” reads the description for Tesla’s Dynamic Brake Lights feature. In addition to flashing the tail lights in situations that call for unexpected heavy braking, the vehicle will also flash its hazard lights.

If your car stops completely, the hazard warning lights will flash until you press the accelerator or manually press the hazard warning lights button to turn them off.

Tesla, and more specifically CEO Elon Musk, has continued to claim that the Silicon Valley electric automaker's vehicles are some of the safest on the road. In order to continue to uphold that claim, the automaker updates its features on an incremental basis. Other automakers don't have the ability to update a multitude of features simply using over-the-air software updates. Generally, a trip to the dealership is also required.

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Some cars' brake lights don't appear noticeable enough, and with the advent of automatic emergency braking, vehicles equipped with the technology can stop incredibly fast and with little warning. Any effort by automakers to make brake lights more obvious, especially under certain circumstances, is a welcome advancement. This type of feature is offered on other cars in Europe and has been for years. Hopefully, OEMs in the U.S. will follow suit so that this technology can be approved and implemented on our shores.

Source: Teslarati

Source: Motor1.com