Gadget puts the brake on nose-to-tail accidents

A car-safety device costing less than $200 may have reduced the chances of someone dying in last Friday's fatal pile-up on Auckland's Southern Motorway.

One man died, one of his passengers was seriously injured and more than 10 other people suffered mild to moderate injuries in the crash. Seven cars were involved.

A New Zealand company called DataBrake makes a matchbox-sized device that activates a vehicle's hazard lights when it detects rapid deceleration, such as in heavy braking or a crash.

This can alert following drivers that they need to brake instantly.

DataBrake project manager Trevor Jones said a number of Government departments were having the unit put into their fleets as vehicles were replaced.

He said Transport Safety Minister Harry Duynhoven had one of the devices, called the intelligent brake light system, put in his car at his own expense. Mr Duynhoven could not be contacted yesterday.

An Internal Affairs spokesman last night confirmed that one had been fitted to the Crown car used by the Prime Minister in Wellington and to a self-drive ministerial car as part of a trial. Helen Clark's Crown car that was the middle vehicle in a three-car nose-to-tail accident in Ponsonby last December did not have one.

Mr Jones said he could not claim the device would have saved 37-year-old Alexis Gordon Michalaros in Friday's crash, but it would have increased his chances of survival.

The Ford Laser Mr Michalaros was driving was smashed between two four-wheel-drives.

Mr Jones said the device, which has a suggested retail price fitted of $198.50, flashes the hazard lights twice a second for 3 seconds if it detects heavy braking and five times a second for five seconds under very heavy braking.

DataBrake says an estimated 80 vehicles are damaged each day in nose-to-tail accidents and claims its device, which won innovation awards from the Road Safety Trust in 2004, can reduce these collisions by at least 30 per cent. Land Transport, the police and the Automobile Association's driver education foundation support the device.

" ... it's technology that has the potential to reduce crashes and we would encourage other companies to follow our example and fit it to fleet vehicles," said Land Transport spokesman Andy Knackstedt.

Police commissioner's office road policing spokesman, Inspector Dave Parsons, said: "Without knowing the details, anything additional that can alert drivers, well and good."

Mr Jones said Waikato University was planning to undertake an independent, Accident Compensation Corporation-financed trial of the device, by installing it in a fleet of Auckland taxis.