MAKE EVERY DECELERATION VISIBLE AND ACCURATE

JakeLight delivers brake-light activation that everyone can trust no missed signals, no false signals, just automatic, accurate deceleration communication.

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FMVSS 108 & SAE Compliant
Patented and Patent Pending

JakeLight - Automatic Brake Light Activation System
Truck engine brake activated brake lights improving road safety

Based on Simma Software J-1939 Adapter design

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The Problem with Truck Brake Lights and Fleet Safety

Why Traditional Engine Brake Activated Brake Lights Fail to Communicate Real Deceleration

Heavy-duty trucks, buses, and vocational vehicles often slow down without use of the service brake pedal. In many everyday driving situations, deceleration happens through engine retarders or other systems.

Traditional engine brake-activated brake lights frequently fail to communicate accurate vehicle slowing. Trailing drivers are left guessing, which increases risk and reduces overall fleet safety.

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Safety Gaps Without JakeLight

  • No visual cue or a confusing signal from traditional engine brake-activated brake light, causing delayed reaction times.

  • Lost reaction time at highway speeds can translate to 50 feet or more of stopping distance, increasing rear-end collision risk.

  • Higher impact severity occurs due to mismatch between actual deceleration and brake-light signaling.

  • Nighttime and bad weather amplify visibility risks, leaving trailing motorists unable to predict truck slowing.

Why It Matters for Fleets and Safety Compliance

The Legal Risk Has Shifted:Awards based on Shared Liability

Even though the striking vehicle is generally at fault in a rear-end collision, fleets are now increasingly held accountable under the legal doctrine of comparative or “shared liability”.

“Failure to take reasonable safety measures.” or “Negligent failure to mitigate risk.”

Plaintiff attorneys now target not only who caused the crash, but whether the fleet:

Could have reduced crash likelihood or severity using safety technology,

Failed to implement known, available, cost-effective safety solutions,

Consequences of Passenger Vehicles Rear-Ending Large Trucks

The cost estimates below exclude mental health costs for crash victims, roadside and furniture repair costs, cargo delays, and lost earnings for friends and family members caring for the injured.

CategoriesValuesSource Year
Number of non-fatal injury only accidents*12,0002021
Number of Property Damage Only Accidents*27,0002021
Number of Fatal Accidents (not total fatalities)*4882021
Average cost of non-fatal injury crash**$195,2582007
Average Repair Cost**$15,1142007
Average Loss of Revenue (due to vehicle out of service)$7,5002007

Sources:

LTBCF 2021 (PDF)
Unit Costs of Truck Crashes 2007 (PDF)

The JakeLight Solution

Can improve trailing-driver reaction time by delivering visible and accurate deceleration communication.

Even accounting for real‑world distractions and lighting variability, a conservative estimate is a 15–25 percent reduction in rear‑end crash rates when functioning stop lamps are present versus none

Can reduce rear-end collision risk by providing earlier and more consistent brake-light cues.

Misleading activations are eliminated, making brake lights a true indicator of deceleration and helping fleets operate more safely on every road.

Provides predictable, uniform behavior across your entire fleet regardless of: OEM, ECM calibration, Engine-brake cylinder settings, or driver preference.

Supports compliance with NHTSA and SAE safety standards

JakeLight is a low-cost, high value technology may reduce predictable risk and mitigate comparative and shared liability judgments, punitive judgements and nuclear verdict exposure.

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JakeLight activation vs Engine Brake setting activation

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JakeLight activation vs Engine Brake setting activation

Feature/RequirementJakeLight ActivationEngine Brake Activation
True Deceleration BasedYESNO
Accounts for ALL RetardersYESNO
Prevents False Brake Light ActivationYESNO
Consistency on all OEMsYESNO
Regulatory AlignmentYESUNCLEAR
Future ExpandabilityYESNO
Driver Safety BenefitHIGHLOW
Integration ComplexityMEDIUMLOW
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Every Second Counts. Every Signal Matters.

JakeLight delivers brake-light activation that everyone can trust no missed signals, no false signals, just accurate deceleration communication.

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Frequently Asked Questions

(FAQ) for Supporting Subheading JakeLight products (SNT-108 and SNT-OG)

JakeLight is an intelligent, CAN-bus compatible brake-light activation module that triggers vehicle brake lights whenever a qualifying deceleration event is detected — even when the brake pedal is not pressed. This includes ALL retarder-based deceleration events that exceed a configurable deceleration threshold.

Traditional brake lights activate only when the service brake pedal is applied.
Many heavy vehicles decelerate significantly using:

  • Engine brakes (Jake brakes)
  • Hydraulic / electric retarders
  • Transmission downshifts
  • Regenerative or coast-down braking
  • OEM solutions create false-positive and misleading signals

These events often do not activate brake lights at all or activate brake lights when the vehicle is not slowing down, leaving following motorists unaware or confused. JakeLight™ closes this safety gap by ensuring consistent, predictable brake-light signaling during all rapid deceleration conditions.

JakeLight is engineered for all vehicles using J-1939 Protocol including:

  • Class 6–8 trucks
  • Motorcoaches & intercity buses
  • School buses & transit buses
  • Municipal service trucks
  • Road maintenance & work zone vehicles
  • Refuse trucks & sweepers
  • Fire apparatus & emergency vehicles
  • Military vehicles 

Yes.
JakeLight does not modify OEM brake systems. It simply commands the brake-light circuit to activate based on valid CAN-bus signals and deceleration logic.

The module integrates through:

J-1939 CAN bus “listen-only” mode (J-1939 or RP-1226 port) A parallel path brake light power circuit – Installation requires no modifications to the OEM ECU, and no software flashes

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About JakeLight​

Innovation Born from Real-World Experience Built to Make Every Mile Safer.

The inspiration for JakeLight occurred when the inventor’s wife was driving their children to an event and the truck ahead of her slowed aggressively without the brake lights illuminating. She had to slam on her brakes and drive off the road to avoid hitting the rear of the truck. Her husband was several vehicles behind and after making sure that his family were unhurt, he caught up to the truck driver and told him that his brake lights were not working. The driver said that he used the engine brake to slow down which the brake lights did not activate.

JakeLight professionals with decades of experience in heavy-duty transportation, manufacturing, and safety systems have made it their mission to ensure the truck lights do not happen to anyone else.

With engineering roots in embedded automotive software systems, engineering, and manufacturing, JakeLight leads the way in Deceleration Communication.

Our Mission

Our Mission: “Clarity When It Matters Most”

To bring discipline, consistency, and defined authorization to
stop lamp signaling in modern commercial vehicles.​

At JakeLight, our mission is grounded in a simple principle: when
a vehicle decelerates, the signal communicating that
deceleration must be clear, accurate, and trustworthy.​

As vehicle architectures have evolved into software-defined
systems, stop lamp activation has increasingly relied on logic
interpretation rather than purely mechanical inputs. Variability in
that logic can introduce inconsistency across platforms and
operating conditions.​

JakeLight applies structured authorization criteria so that stop
lamp activation reflects measurable deceleration and defined
intent — reducing ambiguity and reinforcing signal integrity
within existing vehicle communication systems.​

We believe signaling systems should enhance driver awareness,
not introduce uncertainty. Through precision engineering,
disciplined integration within FMVSS-regulated stop lamp
systems, and a commitment to architectural clarity, we work to
make “Clarity When It Matters Most” more than a statement.​

It is our standard.

JakeLight truck safety LED brake lights on highway