Third Brake Light

As the story goes in 1973 after being rear ended twelve times a frustrated San Francisco taxi cab driver took matters into his own hands. He hard wired a truck tail light to his brake lights and put the light in his back window and he was never rear ended again. 

In 1986 the Center High Mount Stop Lamp sometimes referred to as the cyclops light and what we think of as the third brake light was mandated for use in the U.S. The idea behind the third brake light is that by placing it higher and more prominently it can be seen better and thereby helping to prevent rear end collisions. No vehicle that has been manufactured for sale in United States after 1991 has been without the third brake light.