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Fully functioning tail lights mean safer Tucson roads

Posted at 6:56 AM, Oct 18, 2018
and last updated 2018-10-18 11:33:11-04

It may seem like a small issue, but a broken tail light can cause problems not only for the person driving the vehicle, but also for drivers behind them. 

"If you're traveling down the road and you don't have brake lights, the driver behind you obviously doesn't know your intentions, thinks you're still traveling because there are no lights on, and you're going to end up in a rear-end collision," said Paul Miner, a sales associate at Brake Max.

The danger really spurs from not knowing the next move of the person behind you.

"If they actually rear end you those could be catastrophic accidents, they could be minor accidents depending on your speed your traveling at," said Miner. 

Miner added he sees a good amount of people looking going into Brake Max to get this issue fixed. 

"We get most of the time bulb replacements. I don't see a lot of broken tail lights or a lamp that's not working, it's usually just a bulb," he said. 

A broken tail light can be caused by an array of problems, most of the time though, Miner said, the issue comes from wear and tear. 

As for those quick fixes you might see, like tape over a tail light, Miner said he doesn't recommend them.

"It doesn't work as well as the actual lens itself, you can see it's dimmer, it's definitely something you don't want to do."