That’s not the point. Look at Roberts’ wording.
G.S. 20-129(d) requires that every motor vehicle, and every trailer or semitrailer attached to a motor vehicle and every vehicle drawn at the end of a combination of vehicles must “have all originally equipped rear lamps or the equivalent in good working order, which lamps shall exhibit a red light plainly visible under normal atmospheric conditions from a distance of 500 feet to the rear of such vehicle.”
This can be seen to include brake lights but since there is another statute particular to brake lights it was ruled to over-ride this one. Confusing laws.