Emergency braking alert

Objective

To avoid or minimize the effect of rear-end collisions in the event of unexpected braking.

This system, called EBD (Emergency Brake Display) or Emergency Braking Alert, helps drivers of other vehicles to detect when we are performing emergency braking.

How it works

The system causes the brake lights to flash rapidly when the brakes are applied powerfully and quickly in an emergency situation, alerting drivers behind the vehicle and giving them additional warning time to take the necessary measures.

This system provides information to drivers behind the vehicle that are equipped with the system and is effective on the road. This helps avoid or minimize rear-end collisions.

Components

To differentiate emergency braking from normal braking, the car must be equipped with:

• A sensor in the brake pedal to measure the speed at which the brake is applied.
• The brake lights must be able to flash when switched on.
• An accelerometer that continuously measures vehicle deceleration and activates the emergency brake lights when decelerating above a certain threshold.

Collisions avoided

• Rear-end collisions in the event of sudden braking.

As a result, it significantly reduces injuries such as whiplash, which result from rear-end collisions.

Effectiveness

The reduction in reaction time has been estimated at 0.5 seconds, with the consequent reduction in braking distance. However, the probability of avoiding an accident does not depend on the system, but on the road conditions and the driver behind the vehicle which brakes suddenly.

The Emergency Brake Display (EBD) system always works in the event of heavy braking.

Use and limitations

In terms of the Emergency Brake Display (EBD) system, it is important to remember that other drivers must be familiar with it or know what the flashing brake lights mean and how they should react to these lights.

It is only a warning system for the vehicle behind, so it is only effective if the driver of the following vehicle notices the flashing brake light signal.

Cost

The Emergency Brake Display (EBD) system has no specific additional cost, programming how the brake light works is the only thing that varies because the component is standard equipment in vehicles that install this.

Mandatory

This system is mandatory for new approvals in July 2022 and in 2024 for new vehicle registrations.