Tales of an addiction

"Just Jeepin'" (macintux)
08/23/2018 at 10:35 • Filed to: brick-a-brake

Most days this is all I see as I drive down the road.

Oppo, I have a problem.

I have often made comments about my habit of alerting people to bad brake lights, and touched on it in part 2 of my !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! series.

I haven’t (yet) started collecting statistics, but I can tell you it’s very rare for me to go a day without at least attempting to let someone know they have a bad brake light. Most days I let several people know.

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Seems good, right? Police can’t be everywhere and they have other priorities; besides, this saves people a ticket, and might prevent an accident.

It threatens to become all-consuming, however. Let me recap a few of yesterday’s highlights.

On the way to work: a guy with no brake lights at all. Oops. Fortunately managed to verify it and let him know.

On the way to my mom’s after work: two cars each with two brake lights out. Both drivers were Hispanic, so I pulled out the one Spanish phrase I’ve learned: luz de frena . “Dos luz de frena” I intermingled with my attempts in English to tell them what was wrong, but both times we were starting to move again after a stoplight and I honestly have no idea if either driver figured out what I was trying to say.

On the way home after visiting with my mom: one possible no-brake-light older SUV that blew through a yellow light I wasn’t willing to chase (it’s not easy to verify someone doesn’t have any brake lights, so that one was just flagged as a potential) and then saw another SUV with two brake lights out.

I followed that last SUV into a grocery store parking lot to let them know (and in doing so, really pissed off the woman who I parked next to; she opened her door and shouted at the many approaching her car with a grocery cart that they were going to move to a different spot. Can’t win ‘em all).

The twist to this story? As I was leaving mom’s neighborhood, I felt and heard a shift in the weight in my Jeep. Pulled over, checked my gear, couldn’t find anything wrong, so I drove on.

10 miles later, after alerting 2-3 people about brake lights, including that SUV I followed into a parking lot, and having been indirectly yelled at by a woman waiting for her husband to bring the groceries to the car, I finally noticed that my tire carrier was pointing directly behind me. It had swung open after I left my mom’s house and I had been placing everyone around me at risk the entire drive across town.

So, yeah. Please let people know when they’re having equipment problems, okay?

DISCUSSION (22)

CalzoneGolem > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 10:43

How do people react to you tell them their lights are out?

The Dummy Gummy > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 10:45

I legit don’t know why you have so many people with tail light issues .

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling people if you have the opportunity, but I wouldn’t go out of my way or risk other peoples safety to look for it. It seems you are hyper focused on peoples tail lights than driving. Maybe that’s the wrong take-away though?

Just Jeepin' > The Dummy Gummy
08/23/2018 at 10:48

Eh, I find that between watching for Jeeps to wave to and watching for brake lights I keep more attention on the road. I think.

Until I rear end someone because I’m focused on timing a Jeep wave . Hasn’t happened yet, knock on wood.

In short, Ż\_()_/Ż

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 10:50

Yes.. You do have a problem. You are surrounded by incompetent people. And I think they are infectious...

Just Jeepin' > CalzoneGolem
08/23/2018 at 10:51

Usually positively. Most seem to recognize I’m doing them a favor.

Sometimes with complete apathy, which really astonishes me when they have no lights at all.

Rarely with any hint of hostility, and never with anything approaching real anger.

Both police officers I’ve warned were apologetic.

Just Jeepin' > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
08/23/2018 at 10:53

I’m actually not judgmental about people with bad brake lights. First, I’ve been in their shoes; second, most older cars have no indicators.

Other than what I do, which is monthly pull into a retail area and use tall windows in my rearview mirror to check all my lights, how would you know unless someone tells you?

Ash78, voting early and often > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 10:54

I think brake lights are the types of items that should be built completely bulletproof. Absolutely the CHMSL as a last resort, but ideally all three of them. They’re so important, I’m shocked when I see one or two out, sometimes all of them.

I think it’s “L uces de freno ( estan apagados) ” (o no andan/no funcionan). I’ll let the natives chime in. Some places it’s safe to assume Spanish for Latinos, other places they could be fifth generation and speak no Spanish at all ...awkward!

nj959 > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 10:58

I like to stick a hammer or a 2x4 between the brake pedal and the seat (electric seats makes this easy) to check my lights whenever I think about it. I try to do it every oil change at least.

Just Jeepin' > Ash78, voting early and often
08/23/2018 at 10:59

I usually only revert to Spanish when I get desperate, especially since I’ve never gotten confirmation that my Spanish is close enough to be useful.

I tried to alert a car with a Middle Eastern driver/passenger recently, but neither adult in front knew English, and they couldn’t get the kids in back engaged until it was too late. I’ve started contemplating how to indicate it in a language-free way; the best I can figure is I could grab one of the flashlights I keep handy and point to my brake foot.

Just Jeepin' > nj959
08/23/2018 at 11:00

I just find it a lot easier to be in the driver’s seat when I’m checking, so I can do things like verify that turn signals, hazards, brake lights, tail lights, headlights, DRLs, etc all work.

CalzoneGolem > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 11:10

I let someone know their head light was out many years ago and they responded with hostility which has dissuaded me from telling others.

Just Jeepin' > CalzoneGolem
08/23/2018 at 11:12

I don’t generally bother with headlights because they’re easier to spot from the driver’s seat. The only time I’ve gotten any hint of active hostility has been from people who already knew they had a brake light out and felt like I was nagging them.

CalzoneGolem > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 11:13

I assume I’d get much less hostility now that I’m not a college kid talking to some grown ass man but a grown ass man myself.

His Stigness > Ash78, voting early and often
08/23/2018 at 11:17

It’s shocking to me that every car doesn’t come with a light warning when there is any bulb out.

But then I get into German cars and there are bulb warnings that people ignore.

You can’t fix people.

Ash78, voting early and often > His Stigness
08/23/2018 at 11:19

Mercedes has a pretty handy dash light, it just says “Please replace car” every 3-5 years. :D

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 11:20

You’re doing the Lord’s work. Bugs me to no end. That and people running without lights in the weather.

I mean all the lights work on my Jaguar and TR6 - it can’t be that hard!

Just Jeepin' > MiniGTI - now with XJ6
08/23/2018 at 11:25

I managed a hat trick the other day.

Well after dark I pulled into a gas station parking lot to stop a young lady; I noticed while driving past as she backed out of her parking spot that her left reverse and left brake lights were both out, and on top of that was able to give her a friendly reminder that she was about to leave the parking lot with her headlights off.

(I didn’t push my luck by asking her to put her damned phone down, sigh.)

His Stigness > Ash78, voting early and often
08/23/2018 at 11:30

Either that bulb burned out or it hasn't come on in my car. Either way I've lucked out so far.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 12:36

This is hilarious, but you are also doing the rest of us a great service. Have you considered making simple signs so you can hold them up to alert the drivers? Should be easier and less alarming than shouting at/ following them.

Just Jeepin' > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
08/23/2018 at 12:43

I’ve thought about that, but carrying around signs in a naked Jeep is problematic. If they’re heavy enough to not blow away they’re going to be bulky to store and tough to handle.

And I’m lazy.

bob and john > Just Jeepin'
08/23/2018 at 19:32

I do this on the bike. I pull up next to ppl at the light,. (yea yea, lane splitting, sue me) and let them know.

Just Jeepin' > bob and john
08/23/2018 at 19:42

I forgot to tell that story, but that’s what got me on my current kick. Before a motorcyclist pulled up and told me about my brake light, I had only once (when a woman was driving with no brake lights) told someone about theirs.

Thanks for contributing.