Me since 1992

"Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever" (superchan7)
07/15/2018 at 13:24 • Filed to: murica, turn signals, turn indicators, Rant

The guy spends far too much time and uses a rather petty, repetitive tone. But I’ve never understood why the US DOT has such glaring shortcomings in regulating automotive lighting.

Turn indicators should be amber all around the car, and should NOT be a shared lighting unit with the brake lamps.

LEDs have made things much more visible since the 1990s. I can’t believe how invisible the red turn signals are on a 1990s Ford F-150 ( or a 1980s anything, for that matter) and have always felt that those lighting designs were lazy and downright dangerous.

The other ridiculous loophole is the lack of requirement for side signal repeaters. Those are critical to lane changes and it’s a sin to not mandate them in ‘Murica.

Rant over, hope everyone is having a great Sunday!

DISCUSSION (27)

winterlegacy, here 'till the end > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 13:37

Nowadays side signal repeaters show up as being attached to mirrors.

You still can’t see them because 90% of them are incandescent bulbs still.

Spanfeller is a twat > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 13:40

Maybe US and Canadian ones, don’t attach us to your problems! We don’t have lighting regulations at all!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > winterlegacy, here 'till the end
07/15/2018 at 13:42

Yes, but that’s more of a trim-level option for most mainstream cars. Sure, if it’s mandated with a minimum brightness then that’s acceptable.

Probenja > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 14:00

One thing that I do like about some American spec cars are th e illuminated side markers, they just look a lot nicer at night rather than having reflectors or nothing at all in the international versions. Although some just look like afterthoughts and end up looking bad.

fintail > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 14:20

The US DOT has been idiotic for generations, because it is the US DOT.

Nick Has an Exocet > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 14:46

I never understood the complaints about this? When was the last time you plowed into the back of someone because they were slowing while indicating? Never. That’s when.

More re gulation on this is just a gigantic waste of time and tax payer money. In closing, STFU and go drive.

jimz > Nick Has an Exocet
07/15/2018 at 15:14

When was the last time you plowed into the back of someone because they were slowing while indicating? Never. That’s when.

Thank you.

this is just more whining about “things I want because they’re different but can’t get.”

Urambo Tauro > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 16:01

I dunno. I really do dig the separate brake and turn lamps. In fact, I strongly prefer them. They’re arguably better and m or e communicative . But the shared bulb system already gives us everything we need. And regulating separate bulbs/colors as an absolute necessity is a bit of an overreach.

The problems associated with inoperative bulbs are just that- issues with vehicle maintenance, not failures in car design. (Unless a carmaker happens to design an electrical circuit incapable of handling such a load.) We should always be cautious, but ultimately the burden is not on us to figure out what another car’s lack of indication is supposed to mean. The burden is on that vehicle owner to maintain the vehicle, and on the vehicle driver (if a separate entity from the owner) to use hand signals in the event of lamp failure (at least in my state). More importantly, the burden is on that driver to yield to right-of-way -bearing traffic already within that lane.

2:50 “For other drivers, the only way to discern the meaning of the signal is its behavior. A solid light indicates braking, and a flashing light indicated turning.”

He goes on to claim that this is unclear and dangerous , yet as drivers this is EXACTLY the sort of thing we’re already supposed to be looking out for. Not just on cars, but at traffic signals, where a solid red means “stop and stay stopped” (except for the possible legality of turning on red...), while a flashing red is essentially a stop sign . Recognizing the difference between the two is hardly overwhelming.

As noted in the video, the appropriate reaction in brief moments of confusion is often the same. If you’re following a car and see one side of it light up, and have not yet registered whether it’s a turn signal or a brake light, either way, you’re still gonna have to slow down or merge away (depending on your following distance and lane availabi l ity ). In such a situation, a separated turn signal and brake lamp would have absolutely zer o effect on safety.

The problem with people neglecting to maintain working lamp circuits is real. But not as widespread as the problem with people neglecting to USE their signals. Having separate bulbs only helps to partially mitigate one problem. But e ducating and encouraging people to become better owners/ drivers can help with both of these problems.

J ust like the whole thing with automatic headlamps, we should be focusing on the actual source of the problem and working towards gett ing people to suck less, instead of trying to cover up these shortcomings with automatically-deployed band-aids.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 16:08

How about banning covered headlights, it makes no difference and ruined the XKE, 240Zs would have had them like in Japan. I had to get mine in Japan. Well t he bumper thing was the worst part but the headlights was annoying.

Kinja'd!!!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Nick Has an Exocet
07/15/2018 at 21:16

Many times I’ve wished I could have noticed sooner. One or two near-misses.

Want a mod report for the attitude?

Nick Has an Exocet > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 22:38

Kinja'd!!!

Hey man, don’t get mad when someone calls BS on your fake outrage. It’s the internet.

Not to mention, most cars have repeaters in mirrors and on fenders.

Rico > Nick Has an Exocet
07/15/2018 at 22:46

Why are the rest of the lights on the mirrors and fenders amber and not red?

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Nick Has an Exocet
07/15/2018 at 23:23

No, I stated a genuine concern of mine. Y ou dismissed it in a demeaning way and I find it offensive.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > 415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°)
07/15/2018 at 23:40

Yeah, that doesn’t make too much sense.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Urambo Tauro
07/15/2018 at 23:41

In the sea of cars that is the typical CA freeway commute, the amber turn signals show up MUCH clearer than the reds.

Thanks for the thoughtful response, unlike one of the others here.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > fintail
07/15/2018 at 23:45

In defense of ‘Murica, s ome of the US-specific regulations are great and it’s appalling that the RoW doesn’t follow . I’m a fan of the 5 mph bumpers even if it results in ugly bumperettes on the rear of some cars. And the mandate of side impact intrusion bars, side airbags, Electronic Stability Control, etc. which are steadily making their way into world markets. I really like what the IIHS does that has made modern cars many times safer than they were 20 years ago.

I just hope that committees are reviewing these on a regular basis for potential improvements.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Probenja
07/15/2018 at 23:50

The US mandates that on all cars. I’m just a tiny bit conflicted—I think they’re useful in concept but some executions make them quite a bit less useful than they should be.

The more useful ones are physically separate from the main headlamp assembly, like what Porsche and BMW tend to do. The ones that aren’t separate tend to just blend in with the headlights.

Nick Has an Exocet > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 23:55

I stated a genuine opinion. You chose to get offended. Not everyone will agree with you - something I learned looooong ago.

fintail > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/15/2018 at 23:56

My gripe is mostly with lights - Europe was ahead of the US in terms of lighting from the 60s onward. You are definitely right in terms of safety equipment and pollution controls both - people forget what LA looked like in the 60s.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Nick Has an Exocet
07/16/2018 at 00:20

Sorry, you could have chosen from a thousand better ways than to tell me to “STFU” and declare my concern a case of fake outrage.

Reported.

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > fintail
07/16/2018 at 00:26

Yeah, in theory I should be a huge fan of CARB. It has some seriously annoying red tape and some ridiculous rules but there’s something to be said about leading the world in vehicular emissions controls.

Nick Has an Exocet > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/16/2018 at 00:50

You were going to flag it regardless. You’re the kind of person who wants to make the rules and have someone else enforce them. It was the whole point of your post.

Kinja'd!!!

Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever > Nick Has an Exocet
07/16/2018 at 00:51

I gave you three posts before flagging them. Each one continues to be inflammatory. This convo is over.

Nick Has an Exocet > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/16/2018 at 00:52

And yet you keep replying.

Kinja'd!!!

duurtlang > Urambo Tauro
07/16/2018 at 03:29

And regulating separate bulbs/colors as an absolute necessity is a bit of an overreach.

This ‘overreach’ has been mandatory in Europe for decades . Manufacturers who sell the same model on both sides of the pond chose to cheapen lights for the US market. So they frequently have the lights with seperate bulbs/colors available, they just choose to not offer them in the US.

fintail > Chan - Mid-engine with cabin fever
07/16/2018 at 09:30

I think their 1975 rule is crap, but in terms of mandating pollution controls on new cars, it has improved the quality of life, if not the duration of life, for many. I doubt we’d have catalytic converters and other systems without these regulations. I am not a fan of big brother style government, but not all regs are evil.

Party-vi > Nick Has an Exocet
07/16/2018 at 14:27

Quit being a dick