Abstract
This review of the way drivers may use brake light devices is intended to show how placing greater emphasis on psychological mechanisms is today both appropriate and feasible if safety in car-following situations is to be improved. In a more general context, the authors think that psychology has an important role to play when designing technical devices intended for a wider audience, as it provides knowledge on the psychological mechanisms of the user for which these inventions are intended. The greater the safety implications, the more such a human-centered design is necessary, as is the case for road safety.