The 2001 I bought did not have the third brake light (scary sometimes!). Someone removed the tailgate connector assy and the actual light as they put a heavy duty spare carrier on. I revised it with a little modification!
Today's Project
- Thread starter Snadler
- Start date
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Stopping and watching in the rear-view hoping the guy behind me sees that i am stopped waiting to make a left on a 60MPH road. I live in a rural part of Florida with many two lane 60MPH roads that have lots of accidents.
I don’t think that’s dew to not having a 3rd brake light. I haven’t had one for 7 years. Never any scary situations.
If you are running the stock tail lights, that might be the problem. Upgrading to some nice bright LED tail lights would be a good idea.
Having a 3rd brake light is federal law. It was mandated for new cars and trucks for safety reasons.
I’ve gone 7 years now with a 3rd brake light and 6 years without a license plate light. I’ve never been pulled over for not having either one of them.
Part of my Jeep I love, nobody knows or cares if it have a factory third brake light! I run an LED light bolted to my roll bar but I've run without one, nobody cares.
There is debate on whether they help as much as they say they. An Insurance company did a study once and concluded something like a 5% reduction in rear crashes with new cars after the mandate. It is typically thought to prevent slow speed collisions when drivers aren’t paying attention that are behind you. If you take off and suddenly brake, this is where it is supposed to help you the most. With all the phone nuts out there texting etc., I’ll take all the help I can get! Plus, it is considered safety equipment on a vehicle. In this day and age someone might sue you for removing it...after they rear end you. Something else to think about.
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You've convinced me, I'm selling my 1960 Ford that doesn't have a third brake light or seat belts.
I'm going to buy a Volvo.
I'm going to buy a Volvo.
Thanks for the link. Now I just need my rear LED’s! Both a quicker response and brighter. I did my headlights already and it was a big improvement. Just had to get them adjusted properly. For the rears, I can’t decide if I am going to replace the bulbs with LED’s (most likely) or buy full replacements.
LOL, I wouldn’t disrespect or torment any classic cars over this (@Squatch will come after us!)
But in all seriousness, cars are much safer today than they were in the 60’s...in so many ways. For me, I am not going to remove the 3rd brake light from a newer car that already had one equipped, especially since I drive in stop and go traffic every day. The safety of myself and my family is important to me. Don’t get me wrong, I get the old school renegade thinking, I am pushing 50 myself. If my Jeep was off-road only, I’d tear it off most likely.
My problem is there’s no way for me to mount a 3rd brake light without it looking absolutely horrible.
Yeah, it's a challenge with bigger spare tires. Most most mount a light inside the rim. I'm not crazy about the look either, but it isn't too bad. I was happy with my 32" inch KO2 spare that I didn't have to extend my 3rd brake light. It still sits up top of tire. I'd like to see if I can find an LED for it.
35”. Body mount swing out with a T-Handle in the center of the wheel. Poison Spyder tailgate. My opinions are DIY.
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Be prepared to replace the flasher also. I want through 3 different ones before I found the one that would work properly with bit the signals and the 4 ways. Has to be the heavy duty LED rated for higher amperage