checking if brake lights are working while in the car?

L

landlord

Registered User
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My girlfriend just passed her driving test and one of the questions the examiner asked her was how can you check if the brake lights are working while in the car on your own? She didnt know and the examiner didnt tell her the answer. I suppose at night there are ways of seeing the reflection from another vehicle/windown etc.. but during the day??? Is there some obvious answer that I am not considering?
 
I was asked the same question and remember being stumped, the best I could come up with was to put on the handbrake and get out and have a look. However, the examiner rolled his eyes and told me to "just press the brake pedal." He wasn't forthcoming as to how this would prove the lights were actually lit.
 
I was told to say park the car in a safe place and wedge something on the brake pedal and go check.

Would be handy if the car manufacturers came up with something on the dash to let you know a bulb is blown, almost every car I encountered last night on the way home from work was missing at least one light bulb.
 
eh you look for the reflection of you brake lights in anything reflective i.e. the car behind you... of if at night just look in your mirrors and you should see them even if there is nothing behind you!
 
I was told to say park the car in a safe place and wedge something on the brake pedal and go check.
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Seriously?!

Who advised this - an examiner/instructor?
 
comanche said:
eh you look for the reflection of you brake lights in anything reflective i.e. the car behind you... of if at night just look in your mirrors and you should see them even if there is nothing behind you!
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Thats pretty much it. Even during the day if your parked you can see the reflection of the lights in the car behind.
 
Find a parking space in front of a shop that has a large glass window. Reverse into this space. When you look in the rear view mirror you will see the reflection of your rear lights in the window! Put your foot on the brake pedal and the brake lights should come on! It does not have to be dark to perform this operation.
 
shesells said:
Would be handy if the car manufacturers came up with something on the dash to let you know a bulb is blown,
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Renault had this on their R25 GTX some 25 years ago.. I am sure some other car have this feature.
 
Caveat said:
Seriously?!

Who advised this - an examiner/instructor?
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My instructor...mind you that was in the UK. I think it was also in a book I got from my driving school over there. In the end I did my test here and passed first time, and wasn't asked about brake lights!
 
Wedging something on the brake is an extremely dangerous thing to do. Anyone suggesting this should fail the test.
 
Bronte said:
Wedging something on the brake is an extremely dangerous thing to do. Anyone suggesting this should fail the test.
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One can do this WITHOUT the engine running. Turn the key to the position where all electrics are on but before starting engine. Wedge something appropriate, umbrella/hurley etc. on the pedal and go look.

Of course, the reverse into space in front of a window routine is easier.
 
My previous (99 Volvo) and current (00 Saab) cars both had a mandatory brake test everytime you turn on the inginition: a message saying "TEST BRAKE LIGHTS" is displayed on the trip computer and won't go away until press brake pedals. Obviously if one of them is failing it'll catch it as well. It may be a mandatory Swedish standard (like daylight driving lights!)...
 
I was asked that too at my test and because my instructor told me about it already, i just said reverse up to a reflective surface e.g window.
 
I had a 92 Tipo and a 98 Marea which both had bulb failure warning displays on the dash.
 
Have searched the dash of my 07 Aston Martin DB9 & still cant find the warning light ( I wish)
 
bacchus said:
Renault had this on their R25 GTX some 25 years ago.. I am sure some other car have this feature.
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ahhh...the 25.
I had a TXi with the talking computer. When you started up you'd get "all systems under surveillance", which pleased my Star Trek geek pals no end.
If anything was amiss it'd tell you something like "sidelight not working" or whatever.
The day it told me, in it's damned home counties accent "engine overheated, do not touch a hot engine" was the final straw though, that car was just a mobile compilation of electrical faults.
 
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