Tazer JL - 3rd brake light pulse feature

[melendez69]

Just wanted to throw this out there. This is from Joe at ZAutomotive.
———
On a Mac I’d unmarry first then upgrade. Macs have some usb driver issues that make for occasional data corruption that you definitely don’t want. Unmarrying first removes any risk.
Looks like we will have a Mac update out soon to make up for the driver issue.

Those pesky Macs...

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[hoag4147]

Those pesky Macs...

I seen it mentioned somewhere else so I sent a note to Joe asking. What’s funny is Macs are usually cleaner in most cases. Oh well, guess I will be unmarrying again so I can update to get offroad pages loaded on the 8.4” I recently swapped for my 7”.

 

[Obi.Wan.Shawnobi]

This may be me unknowingly whacking a hornet’s nest, but oh well...

I just did this - updated my Tazer and activated the pulsing 3rd brake light. It makes a ton of sense to me because it’s always grabbed my attention when I’m closely trailing motorcycles And they hit the brakes.

After some Googling (dangerous I know), I realized this was illegal in many states (or it was around 2016-2018 when most of the articles I read were written) because flashing or pulsing imitates emergency response vehicles and could cause confusion. So, brake lights had to remain a constant brightness (no flickering, pulsing, flashing, etc.). Obviously, this law and its interpretation is state-by-state.

But, here’s my question - If I kept this operational and was heavily rear-ended at a traffic light and a bystander or the other driver reported that they saw my tail light pulsing and it was confirmed true, could I be held liable and blamed for the accident because I was not compliant to the code and running an illegal mod (or if not a legal thing, could insurance companies deny a claim for this reason)?

Not trying to be an ass - sincerely asking because we have tons of terrible drivers and tons of a-holes who want to avoid blame and point fingers to cover their backsides when they screw up.

Asking for a friend....

Always be compliant with state laws.
You still have two regular brake lights, so even if your 3rd brake light doesn't work, you meet the minimum requirements to be street legal. I would like to have an officer convince me that an early warning braking system is less safe. Also, no cop is going to go and find you because someone called in and reported your brake light. I would think, worst case is a fix it ticket or a warning. I would let the officer know at that point that it is a factory setting I can turn off. (they wouldn't know any different).

 

[Delong418]

This question requires a lawyer to answer completely. Btw, the other two taillights still light up red without pulsing, so it’s going to be a tough argument from the person who rear ended you. The general rule of thumb is that if someone rear ends you, it is almost always their fault...

Lawyer here (personal injury specifically - stereotypical disclaimer THIS IS NOT LEGAL ADVICE). It will absolutely be used against you to say the person who hit you was not able to see you braking because of the pulsing, or was distracted by the pulsing, basically anything they can come up with. But at the same time, you also argue that it gives better notice to drivers behind you that you are slowing down/stopping. It all comes down to how 12 random people feel about the pulsing.

Re the legality of the pulse itself, no articles to go back to, but I do remember hearing something about this maybe in a magazine or show. But DOT regulations require a solid constant brake light of a certain area. For example modern Audi's have the cool brake light that is a line that grows, but they also have just a standard constant brake light below it to comply with DOT standards. I'd say having two normal brake lights and just your third pulses would have to comply with that.

 

[Heimkehr]

It all comes down to how 12 random people feel about the pulsing.

I was a jury foreman, twice, for two criminal cases: DUI, and aggravated assault. I've quoted the salient part of Anthony's great post that bears remembering here.

In both of the aforementioned cases, the prosecuting attorneys presented the facts of the events in a manner clear enough that 12 reasonable adults shouldn't have required the amount of time we actually spent deliberating the damn cases. Said differently: expect a broad swath of intelligence, to phrase it very politely, when you're in the jury room or seated at the defendant's table.

I went home each day wondering if or how we could legally disenfranchise certain segments of society. It was...that bad.

A jury of our peers? We should be so lucky.




P.S. -- Both defendants were found guilty, as they should have been.

 

[Delong418]

I was a jury foreman, twice, for two criminal cases: DUI, and aggravated assault. I've quoted the salient part of Anthony's great post that bears remembering here.

In both of the aforementioned cases, the prosecuting attorneys presented the facts of the events in a manner clear enough that 12 reasonable adults shouldn't have required the amount of time we actually spent deliberating the damn cases. Said differently: expect a broad swath of intelligence, to phrase it very politely, when you're in the jury room or seated at the defendant's table.

I went home each day wondering if or how we could legally disenfranchise certain segments of society. It was...that bad.

A jury of our peers? We should be so lucky.




P.S. -- Both defendants were found guilty, as they should have been.

You picked up on it perfectly. Just because evidence says blue doesn't mean someone can't say red. That's why I always give "good day at trial" and "bad day at trial" expectations to clients. One way to look at it is that that is exactly the purpose of a jury, the other way that James pointed out is that it's an unfortunate byproduct of bad system.

Didn't mean to change the topic of the thread, but just a friendly reminder that it isn't always a yes or no answer for these legality questions that often come up on the forum

 

[redelses]

What presses/buttons did you hit in what sequence? All I can see if the steering wheel.
Thanks!

Here is a video. Took 6 presses and turned all lights off

 

[FsT4WrD]

I have been messing with this feature for a while now and figured it didn't work because 3rd brake light was normal bulb type. Just changed 3rd brake light to LED version and still can't get this function to work. Changed from slow to medium, to fast, 4 times, 6 times, 10 times and still nothing.

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