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Hazard-lights

Hazard lights that work when your battery is flat
  (+3, -2)
(+3, -2)
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If you get in a car accident or have battery failure, your hazard lights may not work. Having a seperate battery source to run the hazard lights solves the problem stated above.

The extra re-chargable battery could be placed in any convenient spot in the car. This battery does not have to be as big at the regular car battery, but just like a camera battery or a cell phone battery. Hazard lights could also be bright LEDs lights, to save power. This would come in handy any time especially in times of poor visibility.

Notice this, that there are substitutes for hazard lights but no actual solutions. IF flares and other lights are "better" then why have hazard lights on cars at all? They are all substitutes, but harzard lights running of a seperate battery could be a good solution.

dahyeong, Mar 25 2002

Emergency Flares http://www.halfbake.../Emergency_20Flares
You're doing better than I did. [phoenix, Mar 30 2002, last modified Oct 04 2004]


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       Miss Manners recommends saying "I'm not for sure, but I think this is baked." It should help prevent any harsh and dare I say - undue criticism from those who disagree with the assertion.
thumbwax, Mar 25 2002
  

       Road flares also work nicely, and there are now inexpensive battery-driven road flares with LEDs in them, which renders them reusable (at least until the built-in, non-replaceable battery dies), so this idea is indeed baked. At least in the sense that you can protect yourself and your vehicle in an emergency situation, only not using your car's hazard lights.
Canuck, Mar 25 2002
  

       The trouble is that batteries tend to deteriorate over time so any emergency battery sitting in a car for ten years may not actually work when the time comes to use it. Instead, how about advanced power management for cars which won't let you use the radio if you've got less than one hour of hazard warning light battery power left?
st3f, Mar 25 2002
  

       Yes, but how many people keep their car for that long any more? Or for those that do, there could be a mandatory safety change-over at regular service intervals.   

       Is staying with the broken-down or damaged vehicle necessarily the best course of action? In a case like that having a portable means of drawing attention would be invaluable. I could see the point of a small bank of super-bright LEDs (say, around the size of a walkman), powered by a few AA batteries (UM-3s for non-North Americans) mounted in a case with a magnetic base. In an emergency, when you are stuck with your vehicle you just turn it on, stick it to the roof or highest point, and wait for assistance. If you have to leave the vehicle you could clip it to your belt or pocket and make yourself instantly locatable.
Canuck, Mar 28 2002
  

       This idea has not yet been baked. Hazard lights are built in. This enables them to solve important problems that are not solved by loose lights or flares. We just need to press a prominent dashboard button to activate them. dahyeong's idea would make them more dependable so I give it my vote.   

       With built in hazard lights, we don't have to get out of the car or rummage around to activate them. This is just what's needed if the car is still moving or is stuck in an exposed place.   

       dahyeong's idea makes it more likely they will work even when the main battery fails and the car stops in the middle of the road in the fog.   

       It's true that something would need to be done to make sure the supplementary battery is properly maintained for 10+ years.
0ominous, Mar 29 2002
  

       For the first time in my life I actally agree with [Peter Seally] on everthing he says.   

       You have been able to buy torches with a hazard light function for 20 years, so I think this is either baked or pointless. I liked the suggestion put forward by someone that the car should have something built into the electorics to stop the battery being run down by the radio. (Or lights would be a good addition)
CasaLoco, Mar 30 2002
  

       But but but.. Loose hazard lights and built in hazard lights are complimentary and overlapping. I'd guess built in hazard lights cover 20% of hazardous situations that loose hazard lights don't cover and conversely, loose hazard lights cover 40% of hazardous situations that built in lights don't address. dahyeong's idea would increase built in hazard lights unique value to 25% of hazardous situations. It's a new idea.
0ominous, Mar 31 2002
  


 

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