You had one job…

  • soggy_kitty
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    16
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    9 months ago

    How do we know this isn’t just someone on the brake where one bulb has blown?

      • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        18
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        9 months ago

        I think you two are too European to understand this.

        The US and Canada allows blinking a brake light to act as a turn signal. It’s absolutely stupid, I know.

        • soggy_kitty
          link
          fedilink
          English
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          2
          ·
          9 months ago

          Although it’s dumb, it doesn’t rule out the theory. But yes America is… Something

          • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            edit-2
            9 months ago

            It’s the exact pace of a turn signal, it’s how they work over here.

            It’s also not a bulb, but an LED tail light.

          • setVeryLoud(true);@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            2
            ·
            9 months ago

            If the light is positioned on the left of the vehicle and is blinking, they are turning left. Vice versa for right.

            If you want to check whether they are signaling or tapping their brakes, look at the CHMSL. Yes, it’s stupid. Bad regulations allow for this, and this is cheaper for manufacturers, so they will do it.

          • dan@upvote.au
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            1
            ·
            9 months ago

            A lot of countries require indicators to be amber. The fact that they can be red in the USA is weird.

            • EatATaco@lemm.ee
              link
              fedilink
              English
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              1
              ·
              9 months ago

              Everyone is shitting on this but Im 46 years old and can’t remember a single time I’ve ever been confused by a turn signal.

              I can see why the regulation makes sense, because if one is out it might look like someone tapping their breaks is turning. But in both cases it’s a warning someone is slowing down and I can’t come up with a situation where they would have right of way that this would make sense.

              So it seems like something that matters so little.

              • Echo Dot@feddit.uk
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                4
                ·
                9 months ago

                It’s about cognitive load. When you’re driving you want reduced cognitive load so you want things to be as unambiguous as possible.

                It’s a difference between reading a shop sign as you drive past as a passenger and reading a shop sign as you drive past as a driver. You’re focusing mostly on the driving so you don’t have extra brain capacity to read the sign.

                Same thing here, you are focusing on driving so you don’t have extra brain capacity to work out what the person in front of you is doing. If you’re used to it it’s fine, but if you’re not used to it it’s dangerous.

                • ArcaneSlime@lemmy.dbzer0.com
                  link
                  fedilink
                  English
                  arrow-up
                  3
                  ·
                  9 months ago

                  focusing on driving so you don’t have extra brain capacity to work out what the person in front of you is doing

                  That’s a huge part of driving, people not paying attention to the cars in front of them has gotten a car totaled while I’m waiting at a red light, and a bumper bent while I was waiting at a turn without a light. In both cases I was stopped where I was supposed to be, the people behind me were not paying attention to the cars in front of them, and so they hit me.

              • Buffaloaf@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                English
                arrow-up
                1
                ·
                9 months ago

                Also, I lot of American cars do have amber turn signals. I don’t know why people are acting like they have to be red. But yeah, a blinking light is pretty noticable regardless of what color it is.