this post was submitted on 05 Jun 2025
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[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 210 points 1 year ago (6 children)

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 127 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] rollerbang@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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 17 points 1 year 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 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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

[–] xthexder@l.sw0.com 7 points 1 year 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.

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[–] ThePantser@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 18 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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 22 points 1 year 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 6 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 3 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

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[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] SaltSong@startrek.website 5 points 1 year ago

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

[–] Ghoelian@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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 year ago* (last edited 1 year 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 14 points 1 year ago (8 children)

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 44 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year 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 year ago (2 children)

I've always heard it as "PICNIC"

Problem In Chair, Not In Computer

[–] Shdwdrgn@mander.xyz 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

ID10T for those who didn't get it.

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

Layer 0 obfuscation error.

[–] Sidhean@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

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

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[–] sour@feddit.org 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

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

[–] acosmichippo@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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).

[–] Oneshot@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] sour@feddit.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How would that work? If you look from the side you suddenly don't see anything again, or an arrow point forwards or backwards?

If you look from the front, current turn signals work for that already.

[–] Oneshot@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

sliding lights: it depends on the bulb but i imagine it would easy to see move

arrows: i dont know why you think they would point fowards or backwards they would just towards the side youre on or not

[–] sour@feddit.org 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If you're looking at the side of the car, you don't see them the same way as from the front. Which this whole discussion is about.

If you can see both turn signals from your point of view, current design works well enough.

[–] Oneshot@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 1 year ago (3 children)

i found a video to help you picture it better (https://youtube.com/shorts/ZD_34DxW_uI)

it really isnt that difficult

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[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

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 year 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).

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[–] brygphilomena@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 year ago (2 children)

< and > for turns. X for brakes.

Honestly, we should focus on functionality rather than aesthetic.

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[–] Almacca@aussie.zone 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Some of the new Kias have the rear indicators in the bumper. Why are they hiding them?

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Because the designers and marketers were given priority over the safety engineers.

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[–] moakley@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year 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.