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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 125 points 1 month ago

By signaling to oncoming traffic and vehicles approaching from the side, a front brake light provides an essential visual cue that a car is slowing down or preparing to stop. When the light is extinguished, it indicates that a stationary vehicle might initiate movement. According to Tomasch, this visual feedback can significantly truncate the reaction time for other road users, leading to shorter stopping distances and consequently diminishing the likelihood of accidents.

Sounds reasonable. Personally I just want front turn signals to be visible from the opposite side again.

[-] entropicdrift@lemmy.sdf.org 70 points 1 month ago
[-] rollerbang@lemmy.world 20 points 1 month ago

Here's an idea. How about we zap the drivers after they make a turn if they didn't use a turn signal beforehand? 😀

[-] njordomir@lemmy.world 7 points 1 month ago

Can we do this in the same bill as the popup spikes that take out your tires if you stop across the crosswalk? The guided RPGs replacing red light cams can wait a little longer.

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 2 points 1 month ago

Cars with lane-keep assist with vibrate the steering wheel and beep at you. It's at least something but I think most people turn it off if it gets annoying

[-] Rexios@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 month ago

Anyone complaining about lane keep not letting them change lanes or make turns is telling on themselves

Okay Verstappen calm down there

[-] xthexder@l.sw0.com 1 points 1 month ago

There are a couple situations where it's annoying and I turn it off. My truck has the "steer back into lane" style assist, but it's tried to push me off the road before while I was towing a trailer on some narrow 1-lane roads. Some of the corners it's just not possible to get around without touching the center line.

The vast majority of the time it stays on though and is quite helpful.

[-] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Couldn't we just use the point system from 5th element? The car noticed you did something illegal and dedicated from your point pool.

[-] Hubi@feddit.org 13 points 1 month ago

Personally I just want front turn signals to be visible from the opposite side again

Not sure if I read that correctly, but I don't think this has ever been the case?

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 8 points 1 month ago

I mean when a car is coming at me from a cross street, I want to be able to tell if they're turning or just an asshole not using their signal. On some cars, the turn signal is mounted so far to the side that if they're approaching from my right and turning right onto the same street as me, I can't see that turn signal. Sometimes combined with the roundness of the nose exacerbating the problem.

[-] SaltSong@startrek.website 4 points 1 month ago

I think what he wants is the front turn signal to wrap around the front, so I can see the left signal from the right quarter.

I'm not aware that this is not the case, but I don't know that I would have noticed if it was not.

[-] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

i don't think that was ever required in the US. it is elsewhere though.

[-] SaltSong@startrek.website 3 points 1 month ago

Can't speak to "required." But I know it used to be done.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Isn't that the case for pretty much everything? Newer cars alternate blinking their headlights and the signal indicator, and even cars w/ the turn signal on the side will have some light bleed through since it's all one assembly. In the majority of cars, I can see their turn signals when they're perpendicular to me. The larger issue is that most people in my area don't bother to use their signals in the first place.

[-] SaltSong@startrek.website 1 points 1 month ago

Yea, that's part of why I don't know for sure if they make cars the way the guy at the top of this thread is describing.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

Same. I don't think I've ever seen a car that can show me the signal on the opposite side of the car, but I have seen a lot of cars where I can see the indicator while stopped at an intersection and the car is perpendicular to me, since I have a little bit of angle to see the edge w/ the indicator.

99% of the time, it's not an issue, and the other 1% of the time it doesn't really matter if I can see the indicator (I.e. they're already halfway turning, so they're angled away from me).

[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 2 points 1 month ago

Yes that's all I want, to be able to see the indicator again. A lot of newer cars have moved them too far to the side of the vehicle.

I encounter this pretty often because a Boston area streets are terrible and the drivers are worse, so a visible indicator helps all drivers make traffic flow more smoothly.

[-] Ghoelian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

I'm pretty sure most cars have a turn signal near the headlights, and one on the mirror or on the side for that use case, no?

[-] Ghoelian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Actually I think I remember watching a technology connections video about how card in the US can use the headlights as a turn signal, or something like that. I don't think that's allowed in Europe or the EU or whatever.

Found it https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O1lZ9n2bxWA

[-] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 10 points 1 month ago

Theres a saying in computer stuff that applies nicely here. PEBKAC, problem exists between keyboard and computer...turn signals have to be turned on, no amount of engineering can fix bad driving.

[-] Gerblat@lemmy.world 36 points 1 month ago

Heads up, it’s actually keyboard and chair, not keyboard and computer

[-] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 3 points 1 month ago

Dang it, sometimes I just type stuff and dont think about what I typed (the irony of what I was writing out)

[-] drbluefall@toast.ooo 10 points 1 month ago

I've always heard it as "PICNIC"

Problem In Chair, Not In Computer

[-] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 8 points 1 month ago

And never forget about the I-D ten T error.

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 5 points 1 month ago

ID10T for those who didn't get it.

[-] HiTekRedNek@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Layer 0 obfuscation error.

[-] Sidhean@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Oh, you think I need a new chair? Will the Internet come back then?

[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

I've actually always found it weird with all the automation vehicles have, that blinkers aren't linked to the wheel. it already automatically disengages when turning, it shouldn't be too hard to have it auto engage as well when turning

[-] reattach@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

The thing is, you want the turn signal to turn on before the start of the turn, so other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists can react.

[-] Pika@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

agreed, I don't think the blinker switch should be removed, but a late indicator is better than no indicator.

[-] sour@feddit.org 6 points 1 month ago

How would you do that so it isn't ugly as hell and isn't prone to misunderstanding?

[-] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

How would you do that so it isn’t ugly as hell

same way we do with lights now, design them attractively. It is not always successful and that's on the manufacturers.

and isn’t prone to misunderstanding?

what about it is confusing? green = not coming at you so it's okay to turn left (or whatever).

[-] floo@retrolemmy.com 2 points 1 month ago

This wouldn’t really be helpful to those who are colorblind.

[-] Trashboat@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Somebody better tell traffic light designers

[-] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

okay, pick a different color then. it's a solvable problem.

[-] Oneshot@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 month ago

sliding light or arrows

[-] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 points 1 month ago

I've seen newer cars turn the headlight off while the turn indicator is on, so you get a sort of double-blink effect.

I don't see any reason why we can't just have the whole headlight blink yellow as well with the turn indicator. LEDs are everywhere and can handle changing colors really easily, so it's not hard to require that for all new cars.

[-] lka1988@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago

I've seen newer cars turn the headlight off while the turn indicator is on, so you get a sort of double-blink effect

Those are typically DRLs. Chrysler did this for a while in the 2000s-2010s (maybe still, idk), where the high beam - in DRL mode - turns off while the turn signal is doing it's thing. Other manufacturers do this with dedicated DRLs, sometimes integrating the DRLs and turn signals into one multicolored unit (Kia Telluride, for example).

No manufacturer shuts off a headlight for a turn signal when the headlights are intentionally turned on (whether by light sensors at night, or by the driver).

[-] moakley@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

So it sounds like you're checking to see when the light turns off, to know that the car is going.

Sounds like what we actually need is a green accelerator light on the front of the car.

this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2025
224 points (97.9% liked)

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