What flasher to use on the high mount third break light

G

gundrted+t4r

New member
Hello all

I'm looking at adding a flasher to my high mount third brake light on my '17 TRD Off-Road Premium.

I found this module on Amazon and it has pretty good reviews.

Has anyone used this or similar module and what was their experience?

In an effort minimize cutting .... Any thoughts if the ground really needs be inline to the bulb or could I just run it to a grounding point?

Qiorange Flash Strobe Controller Flasher Module for LED Brake Tail Stop Light 12-16V
https://www.amazon.com/Qiorange-Strobe-Controller-Flasher-Module/dp/B015QQ6YUC/ref=cm_cd_al_qh_dp_t
616ACRBH%2B3L._SL1010_.jpg
 
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Just a heads up - even though CO doesn't explicity ban them, they are supposedly illegal under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. Not sure you'll ever get a ticket for it, but can you imagine everyone having these around town or in rush hour?
 
I've always wanted one of these that's combined with an accelerometer so it doesn't flash every time but will if i'm braking hard
 
bofa said:
Just a heads up - even though CO doesn't explicity ban them, they are supposedly illegal under Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108. Not sure you'll ever get a ticket for it, but can you imagine everyone having these around town or in rush hour?
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I appreciate the background.

I asked a CSP trooper at Starbucks about the likely hood of getting a ticket from a blinking break light. He said legally someone could write a ticket, but it would almost impossible for a DA to defend in court. They would have to prove that I was impersonating an officer or endangering others. His comment was as long as its a slow blinking pattern no one will bother you. His last comment was NEVER has a forward facing blinking light.

I have a police grill strobe from my third brake light on my BMW 1200GS, it uses a very slow flash pattern. I've never had an issue.

What ever I put in will be easily removable and if I do get a ticket I'm sure that will be the least of my worries that day ... ;)
 
gundrted+t4r said:
I appreciate the background.

I asked a CSP trooper at Starbucks about the likely hood of getting a ticket from a blinking break light. He said legally someone could write a ticket, but it would almost impossible for a DA to defend in court. They would have to prove that I was impersonating an officer or endangering others. His comment was as long as its a slow blinking pattern no one will bother you. His last comment was NEVER has a forward facing blinking light.

I have a police grill strobe from my third brake light on my BMW 1200GS, it uses a very slow flash pattern. I've never had an issue.

What ever I put in will be easily removable and if I do get a ticket I'm sure that will be the least of my worries that day ... ;)
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I hear ya. You'll probably be fine, just wanted to share what i found when researching them before. Plus it would suck for some jackwad to try and put the blame on me if rear ended.
 
As far as I'm concerned I wish you'd just forget it. It's just another silly distraction on the road that we don't need. Standard is better than better when it comes to warning signals. I don't want your vehicle to be different; it just adds another thing I have to figure out in a few milliseconds.

Everyone, please leave the headlights, turn signals, and brake lights stock. There's a reason they are the way they are.
 
I have this one on my truck and haven't any problems with cops *knock on wood*. This unit allows you to adjust the speed and duration of the flash.

I like the flashing third brake light because it could possibly bring attention to someone who isn't paying attention to the road and save a rear end collision.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/upd-90655
 
Related, does anyone have an install link for these rear cyclops brake flashers? I have a small module, but I've had a hard time figuring out where to access the brake wiring to add it. I've taken the middle brake light cover off and pulled it out, but it only comes out an inch or so and provides very little wire to splice into. Thanks in advance...

Here's the one I got last fall: http://a.co/0kO42Df
 
Very interested on how to install, I bought the one that you showed but cant figure out how to install without tearing down the headliner.
 
I don't get the purpose of these? It does nothing but distract the driver behind you from focusing on the road. Not to mention I just had to deal with one of these because another dealer botched the install and cut the coax cable for the rearview camera (thinking it was a ground); cost them an entire new harness (very expensive).

They're more or less distractionary devices that will probably cause someone to focus on the flashing light wondering why your car is broken and not the fact their vehicle is about to smack into yours.
 
BlackWorksInc said:
I don't get the purpose of these? It does nothing but distract the driver behind you from focusing on the road. Not to mention I just had to deal with one of these because another dealer botched the install and cut the coax cable for the rearview camera (thinking it was a ground); cost them an entire new harness (very expensive).

They're more or less distractionary devices that will probably cause someone to focus on the flashing light wondering why your car is broken and not the fact their vehicle is about to smack into yours.
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"Research Article - Effectiveness of Flashing Brake and Hazard Systems in Avoiding Rear-End Crashes"
Advances in Mechanical Engineering Volume 2014, Article ID 792670, 12 pages http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2014/792670

"Rear-end crashes, accounted for 32.2% of all road crashes, lead to 1694 deaths and 476,000 injuries in the US in 2010."

"Results showed that flashing brake system and flashing hazard system reduced drivers’ brake response times by 0.14∼0.62 s and 0.03∼0.95 s, respectively, in the various situations tested."

"Overall, the conclusion that both flashing systems can reduce brake response times effectively is strengthened by the subjective evaluations and the decrease in the number of crashes when flashing systems were used."

Read the full study here: http://umich.edu/~driving/publications/Li2014FlashingBrake.pdf
 
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SierraMare said:
"Research Article - Effectiveness of Flashing Brake and Hazard Systems in Avoiding Rear-End Crashes"
Advances in Mechanical Engineering Volume 2014, Article ID 792670, 12 pages SAGE Journals: Your gateway to world-class journal research

"Rear-end crashes, accounted for 32.2% of all road crashes, lead to 1694 deaths and 476,000 injuries in the US in 2010."

"Results showed that flashing brake system and flashing hazard system reduced drivers’ brake response times by 0.14∼0.62 s and 0.03∼0.95 s, respectively, in the various situations tested."

"Overall, the conclusion that both flashing systems can reduce brake response times effectively is strengthened by the subjective evaluations and the decrease in the number of crashes when flashing systems were used."

Read the full study here: http://umich.edu/~driving/publications/Li2014FlashingBrake.pdf
Click to expand...

I would argue that's a "it looks good on paper" study. The problem is that it's extremely difficult to really track this, by specifically telling people "we're doing a study on driving habits/brake lights" you've already biased the study. People participating in the study will be "focused/hyper-aware" because they want to (a.) Perform Well (b.) Not look like "bad drivers" (c.) are not driving in their natural manner.

Unfortunately few people aren't glued to their cellphones, not paying attention to the road, and/or over-all being distracted anyways. You have instances of police vehicles being side-swiped with their emergency lamps on. While the study shows good increase in numbers by focused/primed individuals, that may not translate accurately onto the road. You have drivers who are going to be unaware of why the lamp is flashing and start to focus on the abnormality rather than the it's intended purpose (to alert you to stop before you smack the guy in front of you). I've seen this twice in the last few months where a vehicle following a flashing stop lamp Subaru has lingered a bit before they slam their brakes (why I can't say since I am not in the vehicle, but it's been something I have noticed).

You have LDA & BSM (Lane Departure Alert & Blind Spot Monitoring) because people can't be bothered to set their mirrors correctly or learn what the white and yellow lines on the road actually mean for example. I'm not discounting the study, but rather I'm unsure if the results are as credible and directly correlated in the real world because of unfortunate inherent flaws introduced when you inform a person what they're being tested for and testing something like that in such a controlled and sterile environment. Unfortunately based on personal experience/observation and discussion with others who have a better understanding of accidents (LEO, FD, Medical, and an insurance adjuster or two) distracted driving and lack of proper driver focus/attention (i.e. staring at the bumper in front of you instead of scanning the road ahead, following too close, ect) are large contributing factors; the "ooh shiny!" effect as I jokingly coin it sometimes.
 
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