By EWAN KENNEDY
30 June 2008

There don't seem to be as many brake lights on cars these days as there used to. Sure the lenses are still attached to the rears of cars, but not all of them light up. Indeed it’s not unusual to see a car that should have three brake lights, but only one of them goes on when the pedal is pushed. And I’ve seen a fair few cars with no brake lights at all…

Meaning that when you brake, the back of your car might suffer from breaks due to another driver not getting the message to slow down.

I live on the Gold Coast, but spend a fair bit of time in other areas for business reasons. In particular I’m in Melbourne most weeks as that's where the majority of car makers have their head offices. And spend a fair bit of time in Sydney as well. Sad to say, it’s Sydney where things seem to be slackest. That's possibly simply due to the city’s ‘let’s-not-worry-about-tomorrow’ attitude, but it could also be due to the annual vehicle inspection system operating in NSW.

There's a definite feeling here that you only worry about the condition of the car when the roadworthy inspection is due. Many a time I’ve heard drivers saying they will put off having work on their car done, “until the rego is due.”

It’s probably not polite to tell them this isn't the way of doing it, but I usually say something if there's a really dangerous defect, such as broken brake lights. Indeed, I’ve more than once told another driver at traffic lights that they have a problem and have never had anything but a grateful thanks and a smile. Try it for yourself if you think the situation warrants it.

Checking if your car’s brake lights are working is easy. If you are on your own you can usually see them reflected in a window or a light-coloured surface. However it’s much better to have someone stand behind the car to check every light is operating. Kids love to do it, it not only gives them a feeling of importance, but also gets them thinking of road safety at an early age.

ewan@marque.com.au