Interesting article on vehicle design.

[Mr. Incredible]

How Regulations Dictate the Look of New Cars | Feature | Car and Driver

 

[AgentSmith007]

Yes, indeed.

The article didn't address the existence of third (usually small) brake light behind rear windshield. Was it also government regulation or something else?

 

[EdP]

Yes, indeed.

The article didn't address the existence of third (usually small) brake light behind rear windshield. Was it also government regulation or something else?

It is government regulated. To publish the full Federal Register of auto regulations would take up far more space than anyone would care to read. That article did not even touch the highlights.

 

[AgentSmith007]

It is government regulated. To publish the full Federal Register of auto regulations would take up far more space than anyone would care to read. That article did not even touch the highlights.

Yes, just did Internet search. Here is from Pulse site:

Legend has it that in 1973, a San Francisco cab driver was rear-ended for the twelfth time. In frustration, the cabbie hard-wired a truck light to his rear brake lights and placed it in his back window, effectively inventing the third brake light. Story goes, he’s never been rear-ended since.

In 1986, the Center High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL) – or what we all think of as the “third brake light” – was mandated for use in the United States. The theory, of course, was that a brake light placed higher and more prominently at the back of the car would help to prevent rear-end collisions. Does it work? No automobile or light duty truck manufactured after 1991 for sale in the US has been manufactured without a third brake light, so you tell us!

 

[tuckerdog1]

I recall a time when headlights in the U.S. had to be round. Never quite understood why.

Tuckerdog1

 

[EdP]

I recall a time when headlights in the U.S. had to be round. Never quite understood why.

Tuckerdog1

It was made law in 1940. I found this
A Brief History Of Sealed Beam Headlamps In The U.S.
PRIOR TO 1939: Headlamp design was not standardized. While many cars during the earliest part of the 20th century used round, stand-alone lamps, as car design evolved, auto manufacturers began to design lamps unique to their vehicles.

1940-1956: To control chaotic supply problems with unusual headlights, all U.S. cars were required by law to use (2) 7" round sealed beam headlamps with one lamp on each side of the vehicle. Note that each lamp is a "dual filament", meaning that the same sealed beam lamp serves as both low beam and high beam. Therefore, they all have 3 electrical prongs at the rear. more details on - A Brief History Of Sealed Beam Headlamps In The U.S.

 

[tuckerdog1]

Pesky chaotic supply problems.

Thanks for doing the digging Ed.

 

[AgentSmith007]

Pesky chaotic supply problems.

That's what we had in USSR in late 1980s.