November 21, 2025 • 10 mins
A new study published in *Vehicles* explores the potential of front brake lights (FBLs) to improve safety at intersections. Using counterfactual simulation of 200 real-world crashes, researchers found that FBLs could prevent up to 17% of crashes and mitigate another 9-25%, offering a low-cost, retrofittable solution to a common cause of accidents while waiting for widespread adoption of advanced driver-assistance systems.
Read the full article at https://www.paperleap.com/blog/articles/could-a-simple-front-brake-light-save-lives-at-intersections-0cccuk
Read the full article at https://www.paperleap.com/blog/articles/could-a-simple-front-brake-light-save-lives-at-intersections-0cccuk
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to the paper Leap podcast, where a science takes
the mic. Each episode, we discuss cutting edge research, groundbreaking discoveries,
and the incredible people behind them, across disciplines and across
the world. Whether you're a curious mind, a researcher, or
just love learning, you're in the right place. Before we start,
(00:21):
don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an insight.
All the content is also available on paperleap dot com. Okay, ready,
let's start. Picture yourself approaching a busy intersection. Cars are
zipping past, bicycles weave through gaps, and a pedestrian edges
(00:41):
nervously toward the crosswalk. One of the hardest parts of
navigating this moment is guessing what the other drivers are
about to do. Is that car slowing down? Are they stopping?
Or will they dart into the junction? Now, imagine if
every car had a small green light on the front
bumper that flicked on whenever the driver fit the brakes. Suddenly,
(01:05):
you wouldn't need to guess. You'd know instantly that car
is slowing and you can react accordingly. This is exactly
the idea behind the front brake light or FBL. A
simple retrofitable system that could help prevent crashes at intersections,
and according to a study published in Vehicles by researchers
(01:26):
Ernst Tomash of t U Graz in Austria, Bernhard Kerschbaum
of Commenius University in Slovakia, and Wolfgong Schubert of the
Bond Institute for Legal and Traffic Psychology in Germany, it
might actually work. Intersections are the traffic equivalent of chaos theory.
Most accidents don't happen on long, straight highways where everyone
(01:49):
is moving in the same direction. Instead, they cluster where
paths cross at crossroads, roundabouts, and t junctions. In Austria,
for example, where this study is based, just three types
of intersection crashes. Cars turning across oncoming traffic, cars colliding
while crossing paths, and cars turning left into the path
(02:11):
of another account for more than eighty percent of serious
and fatal junction accidents. Safety technology has advanced dramatically since
the first anti lock braking systems appeared in the nineteen seventies.
Modern cars now come with automatic emergency braking, forward collision warnings,
and lane departure alerts. These systems save lives, but it
(02:35):
takes decades before an entire vehicle fleet is replaced. Not
everyone drives a shiny new car with the latest safety package.
That's where retrofitable systems like the FBL come in. Instead
of waiting for the future of fully automated vehicles, could
we save lives with a clever add on today? The
(02:55):
front brake light isn't a brand new concept. In fact,
researchers first tested it in the nineteen seventies. Back then,
the results were promising. People liked the idea, and both
drivers and pedestrians felt it made traffic safer. But after
that the idea gathered dust. It wasn't until the twenty
tens that researchers in Germany revisited the concept. In controlled
(03:19):
lab studies, pedestrians could identify when a car was breaking
more quickly if it had an FBL. Later trials at
Berlin's former Tigal Airport and in Slovakian cities put thousands
of FBL equipped cars, buses, and trucks into real traffic.
Drivers overwhelmingly reported that the system made road interactions smoother
(03:42):
and safer. Still, those studies focused mostly on perception and
driver attitudes, not on whether the FBL could actually prevent accidents.
That's the gap the new research aimed to fill. Since
no commercial cars are currently sold with FBLs, the reas
researchers couldn't simply pull crash statistics from national databases. Instead,
(04:05):
they used a method called counterfactual simulation, essentially a giant
what if experiment. Here's how it worked. They started with
two hundred real intersection crashes from Austria drawn from a
detailed accident database. Then, using reconstruction software, they recreated each
crash step by step, who moved where, at what speed
(04:28):
when brakes were hit. Subsequently, they ran the same crash again,
but this time they imagined the non priority car, the
one breaking the rules or entering incorrectly, had a front
brake light, and then they asked would the driver of
the other car have had time to react differently if
they'd seen that FBL signal. This approach let them test
(04:52):
the FBL against a wide variety of crash scenarios, from
cars pulling out of side streets to left turn collisions,
without waiting for years of real world adoption. The results
were encouraging. In fact, up to seventeen percent of crashes
could have been completely avoided with an FBL, depending on
(05:12):
how quickly drivers reacted. Another nine to twenty five percent
of crashes could have been less severe with reduced collision speeds.
If visibility of the FBL was good, for example, when
cars were facing each other head on rather than at
sharp angles, the benefits were even greater. As many as
twenty six percent of crashes might be avoided and nearly
(05:35):
forty percent mitigated. Reaction time mattered a lot with lightning
fast reactions half a second, drivers could avoid far more
crashes with slower reactions one point five seconds. Benefits dropped,
but the FBL still helped. The system worked just as
well in cities as in rural areas. It was slightly
(05:57):
less effective and bad weather rain or snow, but still
offered measurable improvements in plane terms. If widely adopted, a
simple light on the front of cars could make a
meaningful dent in one of the most dangerous categories of crashes.
At first glance, it seems almost too obvious why would
(06:18):
a front facing brake light make such a difference, While
the answer lies in human reaction time. On average, it
takes drivers more than a second to notice and respond
to unexpected hazards. But when we're given a clear early queue,
like a glowing light that says this car is breaking,
we can shave crucial fractions of a second off that
(06:39):
response time. Those fractions matter. A car traveling fifty kilometers
per hour about thirty miles per hour covers almost fourteen
meters in one second. Reacting even half a second sooner
can be the difference between stopping safely and a devastating collision.
The FBL essentially work as a form of nonverbal communication
(07:02):
between drivers. Just as a cyclist makes eye contact before
crossing a lane, the light gives others insight into what
the driver intends. In the unpredictable chaos of intersections, that
extra signal could save lives. One of the most striking
aspects of this research is its practicality. Unlike futuristic autonomous
(07:24):
driving systems, the FBL is cheap, simple, and retrofitable. It
doesn't require new infrastructures, satellites, or artificial intelligence. It's just
a light wired to the brake pedal, and yet the
social science side is equally important. Earlier studies found that
most drivers and pedestrians liked the FBL in trials across Slovakia,
(07:48):
more than seventy five percent of road users said they'd
support making it standard on all cars. That kind of
public acceptance is rare in traffic safety. Seat belts and
speed limits, for instance, faced decades of resistance. So where
do we go from here? Of course, not every crash
type benefits equally. In side impact crashes, where cars meet
(08:11):
at sharp angles, the FBL might not even be visible.
In nearly forty percent of the studied crashes, the light
wouldn't have been seen by the other driver. Wather, urban
lighting and background distractions could also reduce effectiveness. Still, the
numbers are hard to ignore. If regulators required FBLs on
(08:32):
new cars, or even encouraged retrofits on older vehicles, thousands
of lives could be saved over the long term. The
offers note that mandatory adoption similar to how rear brake
lights or seat belts became standard, could be a game changer.
Euro ENCAP Europe's Vehicle Safety Assessment program already evaluates braking
(08:53):
systems at intersections, and FBL could slot naturally into such frameworks.
Tempting to think road safety requires moonshot innovations, self driving cars,
radar sensors, vehicle to vehicle communication. But sometimes the most
effective solutions are also the simplest. The FBL doesn't replace
(09:15):
high tech driver assistance systems, but while we wait for
the global car fleet to modernize, a process that takes decades,
it could act as a bridge technology making intersections safer today.
The FBL isn't a Siller bullet, but it could be
a low cost, high impact addition to the safety toolbox.
And when it comes to traffic crashes where milliseconds matter
(09:39):
and human lives are at stake, that's worth serious consideration.
That's it for this episode of the paper Leap podcast.
If you found it thought provoking, fascinating, or just informative,
share it with the fellow science nerd. For more research
highlights and full articles, visit paperleaf dot com. Also make
(10:01):
sure to subscribe to the podcast. We've got plenty more
discoveries to unpack. Until next time, Keep questioning, keep learning,
Welcome to the paper Leap podcast, where a science takes
the mic. Each episode, we discuss cutting edge research, groundbreaking discoveries,
and the incredible people behind them, across disciplines and across
the world. Whether you're a curious mind, a researcher, or
just love learning, you're in the right place. Before we start,
(00:21):
don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an insight.
All the content is also available on paperleap dot com. Okay, ready,
let's start. Picture yourself approaching a busy intersection. Cars are
zipping past, bicycles weave through gaps, and a pedestrian edges
(00:41):
nervously toward the crosswalk. One of the hardest parts of
navigating this moment is guessing what the other drivers are
about to do. Is that car slowing down? Are they stopping?
Or will they dart into the junction? Now, imagine if
every car had a small green light on the front
bumper that flicked on whenever the driver fit the brakes. Suddenly,
(01:05):
you wouldn't need to guess. You'd know instantly that car
is slowing and you can react accordingly. This is exactly
the idea behind the front brake light or FBL. A
simple retrofitable system that could help prevent crashes at intersections,
and according to a study published in Vehicles by researchers
(01:26):
Ernst Tomash of t U Graz in Austria, Bernhard Kerschbaum
of Commenius University in Slovakia, and Wolfgong Schubert of the
Bond Institute for Legal and Traffic Psychology in Germany, it
might actually work. Intersections are the traffic equivalent of chaos theory.
Most accidents don't happen on long, straight highways where everyone
(01:49):
is moving in the same direction. Instead, they cluster where
paths cross at crossroads, roundabouts, and t junctions. In Austria,
for example, where this study is based, just three types
of intersection crashes. Cars turning across oncoming traffic, cars colliding
while crossing paths, and cars turning left into the path
(02:11):
of another account for more than eighty percent of serious
and fatal junction accidents. Safety technology has advanced dramatically since
the first anti lock braking systems appeared in the nineteen seventies.
Modern cars now come with automatic emergency braking, forward collision warnings,
and lane departure alerts. These systems save lives, but it
(02:35):
takes decades before an entire vehicle fleet is replaced. Not
everyone drives a shiny new car with the latest safety package.
That's where retrofitable systems like the FBL come in. Instead
of waiting for the future of fully automated vehicles, could
we save lives with a clever add on today? The
(02:55):
front brake light isn't a brand new concept. In fact,
researchers first tested it in the nineteen seventies. Back then,
the results were promising. People liked the idea, and both
drivers and pedestrians felt it made traffic safer. But after
that the idea gathered dust. It wasn't until the twenty
tens that researchers in Germany revisited the concept. In controlled
(03:19):
lab studies, pedestrians could identify when a car was breaking
more quickly if it had an FBL. Later trials at
Berlin's former Tigal Airport and in Slovakian cities put thousands
of FBL equipped cars, buses, and trucks into real traffic.
Drivers overwhelmingly reported that the system made road interactions smoother
(03:42):
and safer. Still, those studies focused mostly on perception and
driver attitudes, not on whether the FBL could actually prevent accidents.
That's the gap the new research aimed to fill. Since
no commercial cars are currently sold with FBLs, the reas
researchers couldn't simply pull crash statistics from national databases. Instead,
(04:05):
they used a method called counterfactual simulation, essentially a giant
what if experiment. Here's how it worked. They started with
two hundred real intersection crashes from Austria drawn from a
detailed accident database. Then, using reconstruction software, they recreated each
crash step by step, who moved where, at what speed
(04:28):
when brakes were hit. Subsequently, they ran the same crash again,
but this time they imagined the non priority car, the
one breaking the rules or entering incorrectly, had a front
brake light, and then they asked would the driver of
the other car have had time to react differently if
they'd seen that FBL signal. This approach let them test
(04:52):
the FBL against a wide variety of crash scenarios, from
cars pulling out of side streets to left turn collisions,
without waiting for years of real world adoption. The results
were encouraging. In fact, up to seventeen percent of crashes
could have been completely avoided with an FBL, depending on
(05:12):
how quickly drivers reacted. Another nine to twenty five percent
of crashes could have been less severe with reduced collision speeds.
If visibility of the FBL was good, for example, when
cars were facing each other head on rather than at
sharp angles, the benefits were even greater. As many as
twenty six percent of crashes might be avoided and nearly
(05:35):
forty percent mitigated. Reaction time mattered a lot with lightning
fast reactions half a second, drivers could avoid far more
crashes with slower reactions one point five seconds. Benefits dropped,
but the FBL still helped. The system worked just as
well in cities as in rural areas. It was slightly
(05:57):
less effective and bad weather rain or snow, but still
offered measurable improvements in plane terms. If widely adopted, a
simple light on the front of cars could make a
meaningful dent in one of the most dangerous categories of crashes.
At first glance, it seems almost too obvious why would
(06:18):
a front facing brake light make such a difference, While
the answer lies in human reaction time. On average, it
takes drivers more than a second to notice and respond
to unexpected hazards. But when we're given a clear early queue,
like a glowing light that says this car is breaking,
we can shave crucial fractions of a second off that
(06:39):
response time. Those fractions matter. A car traveling fifty kilometers
per hour about thirty miles per hour covers almost fourteen
meters in one second. Reacting even half a second sooner
can be the difference between stopping safely and a devastating collision.
The FBL essentially work as a form of nonverbal communication
(07:02):
between drivers. Just as a cyclist makes eye contact before
crossing a lane, the light gives others insight into what
the driver intends. In the unpredictable chaos of intersections, that
extra signal could save lives. One of the most striking
aspects of this research is its practicality. Unlike futuristic autonomous
(07:24):
driving systems, the FBL is cheap, simple, and retrofitable. It
doesn't require new infrastructures, satellites, or artificial intelligence. It's just
a light wired to the brake pedal, and yet the
social science side is equally important. Earlier studies found that
most drivers and pedestrians liked the FBL in trials across Slovakia,
(07:48):
more than seventy five percent of road users said they'd
support making it standard on all cars. That kind of
public acceptance is rare in traffic safety. Seat belts and
speed limits, for instance, faced decades of resistance. So where
do we go from here? Of course, not every crash
type benefits equally. In side impact crashes, where cars meet
(08:11):
at sharp angles, the FBL might not even be visible.
In nearly forty percent of the studied crashes, the light
wouldn't have been seen by the other driver. Wather, urban
lighting and background distractions could also reduce effectiveness. Still, the
numbers are hard to ignore. If regulators required FBLs on
(08:32):
new cars, or even encouraged retrofits on older vehicles, thousands
of lives could be saved over the long term. The
offers note that mandatory adoption similar to how rear brake
lights or seat belts became standard, could be a game changer.
Euro ENCAP Europe's Vehicle Safety Assessment program already evaluates braking
(08:53):
systems at intersections, and FBL could slot naturally into such frameworks.
Tempting to think road safety requires moonshot innovations, self driving cars,
radar sensors, vehicle to vehicle communication. But sometimes the most
effective solutions are also the simplest. The FBL doesn't replace
(09:15):
high tech driver assistance systems, but while we wait for
the global car fleet to modernize, a process that takes decades,
it could act as a bridge technology making intersections safer today.
The FBL isn't a Siller bullet, but it could be
a low cost, high impact addition to the safety toolbox.
And when it comes to traffic crashes where milliseconds matter
(09:39):
and human lives are at stake, that's worth serious consideration.
That's it for this episode of the paper Leap podcast.
If you found it thought provoking, fascinating, or just informative,
share it with the fellow science nerd. For more research
highlights and full articles, visit paperleaf dot com. Also make
(10:01):
sure to subscribe to the podcast. We've got plenty more
discoveries to unpack. Until next time, Keep questioning, keep learning,
Popular Podcasts
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
The Brothers Ortiz
The Brothers Ortiz is the story of two brothers–both successful, but in very different ways. Gabe Ortiz becomes a third-highest ranking officer in all of Texas while his younger brother Larry climbs the ranks in Puro Tango Blast, a notorious Texas Prison gang. Gabe doesn’t know all the details of his brother’s nefarious dealings, and he’s made a point not to ask, to protect their relationship. But when Larry is murdered during a home invasion in a rented beach house, Gabe has no choice but to look into what happened that night. To solve Larry’s murder, Gabe, and the whole Ortiz family, must ask each other tough questions.