The Mercedes-Benz brake lights was first introduced in 2005 in Germany. It was approved by the European Union licensing authority to enter production in the S-Class and later in the CL-Class coupe. Mercedes-Benz developed this technology to improve driver awareness and reduce rear-ender accidents.

Research by Mercedes-Benz engineers has shown that driver reaction times are shortened by up to 0.2 second if a flashing red warning signal is given instead of the conventional non-flashing brake light during emergency braking. The studies carried out by the team at Mercedes found that at a speed of 50 mph this reduces the stopping distance by approximately 14.5 feet, and at 62.5 mph by around 18 feet.

Specialists at Mercedes tested various warning light systems during their study. Brake lights which light up four times as quickly as the amber hazard warning flashers during emergency braking proved particularly effective in alerting following drivers to the danger of a rear-end collision. The Mercedes study also revealed that switching on the hazard warning system in a dangerous situation has no significant effect on the reaction times of other drivers.

However, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) rejected Mercedes-Benz’ proposal to equip its vehicles with brake lights that would rapidly flash on and off when a driver brakes suddenly, despite the fact that NHTSA’s European counterpart has endorsed the system.

But the agency replied that Mercedes had not proved that flashing lights would yield a major safety gain, so existing federal rules that require steady illumination of brake lights will stand.

Mercedes-Benz USA LLC is still persisting in its campaign to bring flashing brake lights to the United States. The company is counting on its customers to help convince U.S. regulators of the safety benefits of brake lights that flash rapidly in emergency stops. Mercedes-Benz has asked the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for a two-year exemption from federal rules that require “steady-burning” lights on vehicles. The company said that in those two years, it would sell as many as 5,000 cars with brake lights that flash during panic stops. The experiences of the cars’ owners would help determine the value of the flashing lights. Those drivers would be rear-ended less often and less severely, Mercedes-Benz predicts.

Statistics are quite alarming. Figures show that there is a 20 percent rise in the number of children killed on the country’s roads. With this fact in mind, most safety organizations are beginning to doubt the UK Government’s speed camera program. Although braking technology has been constantly incorporated in every automobile, they are still not enough to ensure maximum road safety.

The latest statistics by 2006 were released by the Department for Transport, triggered serious questions about their effectiveness, especially when fatalities were separated from serious injuries. The cameras which raise more than a billion pounds in fines a year have been a key plank in the Government’s drive to cut deaths and injuries.

There was also a five per cent rise in the number of motorcyclists killed, with the total reaching 599 and pedestrian deaths were also up by one per cent, reaching 675. On a positive note, There was a four per cent fall in the number of car users killed, with last year’s total dropping to 1,612. But speed camera critics said that this drop – which contributed to an overall one per cent reduction in road deaths – said this was more to do with improved car technology.

Paul Smith, an advocate and ceaseless campaigner against the speed camera program, said that the government should have been looking for a much more effective and dramatic casualty reduction if its policies were succeeding. He also adds that the the underlying story of the new road casualty figures is that we have received part of the benefit of improved car brake systems. “Road safety policy appears to have made matters worse because the only gains are in car occupant deaths. The problem is pedestrian, child and motorcyclist deaths are up. If the Government’s policy was really working all these figures should have been coming down.”
However, the Department for Transport defended its performance.

According to the department, serious injuries are down by 35 per cent over the same period and the latest figures show that overall casualties are five per cent down on 2005.

“But any death or injury is one too any and we are working hard to reduce road casualties as far as we can.”

The Australian Saloon Car Company feted EBC Brakes in the recently concluded Mallala leg of the 2007 Australian Motor Racing Series. The largely pastoral lands of Mallala, an hour north of Adelaide, stood silent witness as saloons, kart, and bikes battled hard tracks and high humidity. A V8 SS Commodore driven by Derek Hocking claimed top honors for the saloon car category. It won the race over close No. 2 Drew Russell, driving a bright orange Honda S2000. Both cars displayed to the full extent the EBC Brakes YellowStuff capability, as one lap into the checkered flag both drivers rode side by side and tried to outdo one another. “Our Motorsport involvement allows us to monitor our products in extreme conditions,” EBC Brakes released in a statement. The performance reiterated the “value for money” of EBC Brakes, the statement added.

Brake systems can make or break a car’s fuel efficiency. Traditionally made of cast iron in order that its individual parts withstand friction and heat, brakes cost you not only maintenance but gasoline dollars as well. They are heavy that they add considerable weight on the car and require additional horsepower to be pulled. At least cast iron brakes are considered heavy and a drag until New York-based materials research scientist Stan Hemstad came up with a fiber-reinforced ceramic brakes.

At Starfire Systems Inc. in Malta, New York, Hemstad explained that compared to current ceramics brake technology in the performance car industry, the fibers in the ceramics hold the material together. “Same thing as adobe bricks. The straw keeps it from crumbling and falling apart.” A typical cast iron brake averages 10 kilograms. The fiber-reinforced ceramic brake weighs less than two. “There is a lot of weight savings. That makes the cars accelerate faster, more maneuverable, reduces gas consumption,” Hemstad said.

Manufacture of the fiber-reinforced brakes remains expensive and time consuming, taking over four hours. Hemstad says the goal is to make them less expensive so they can go on higher-end cars and eventually all passenger cars. Ceramic brakes are still being tested, but they’re already an option on performance cars, amounting around $10,000. They could be on all cars for less than $400 within three years. According to Hemstad, the gas benefit savings will pay for the brakes. Ceramic brakes also last longer than metal brakes, so there is no need to replace them as often.