6 ms·

Flashing the red brake light is a North American thing. Over in Europe you would have a dedicated amber light and I expect there is a different light than the U

by knolan 5y ago

Flashing the red brake light is a North American thing. Over in Europe you would have a dedicated amber light and I expect there is a different light than the Union Jack which would be reserved for combined rear and brake lights only. I’ve seen a mini with these lights recently here in Ireland and I’d expect the driver may find their car burnt out sooner rather than later.

vinay427 5y ago
> Flashing the red brake light is a North American thing Nowadays, the brake light is rarely used. It's usually a different part of the taillight cluster which may be red or amber, and most manufacturers (especially European ones, ironically) sometimes choose to use a red one for NA markets. The complaint here isn't that the brake lights are being used, but that the turn signal is designed like this.
- knolan 5y ago
  I agree, it’s a baffling decision. I had a brief look to see if I could see the European implementation but I’ve not found anything yet. Edit: here is an example: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0272/7303/5875/products/1_086e8c91-1cc1-49a6-8092-cfa81a2f0536_1024x1024.jpg?v=1589059456 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0272/7303/5875/products/1_...
- masklinn 5y ago
  > It's usually a different part of the taillight cluster which may be red or amber, Which remains one of the issues, even if it's not technically a brake light. In Europe red turning signs are not legal. But I can see how the same turn signal in amber would help very little, as you'd still have a very clear, very bright arrow pointing the wrong way entirely.
Hamuko 5y ago
I find it crazy that Americans allow turn signals to use the same red lights as brakes considering how many different safety rules they have. Like how all cars have to have amber reflectors on the front bumpers, which almost all European cars have to add almost as an afterthought [1], or how the door lock pins can't be flush with the door (at least I assume this is regulation since I never see non-flush door lock pins in European cars). And now the most recent one is the mandatory backup cameras, and I don't think I know any other country in the world where those are mandated by law. [1] https://live.staticflickr.com/4623/39623465442_7519e01f0b_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/4623/39623465442_7519e01f0b_o....
- jdavis703 5y ago
  America has the highest per capita traffic deaths among OECD countries. Our traffic / vehicle regulations aren’t that strong and are rarely enforced on after-market modifications. This is getting downvotes, but it’s literally legal to drive a jacked up, high center of gravity pickup trucks in the US. Meanwhile in Europe such a modification would be illegal because it reduces front-facing visibility.
  - kibwen 5y ago
    Per miles driven the US has an average number of traffic deaths. The problem is that the country's infrastructure is designed so poorly that the number of miles driven per capita is laughably absurd.
    - kashura 5y ago
      Maybe the root cause is the laughably easy barrier of entry to have a license to drive a death missile? It's a multi faceted issue of course, but to me, getting better educated drivers on the road is by far the easiest problem to solve around driving.
      - jdavis703 5y ago
        I would say almost everyone knows not to text and drive, or run red lights or to speed. Yet these are all frequent occurrences. Even proposals to add speed or red light cameras (with strict rules to prevent municipal abuse) face heavy opposition. I don’t think education alone will fix traffic safety.
        oblio 5y ago
        Speed cameras I can (kind of) understand, but what possible reasonable explanation could they have for blocking red light camera installation?
        5y ago
fredoralive 5y ago
European Minis have those stupid looking Union Jack light clusters, but IIRC it’s just the horizontal bar that flashes yellow on those, not the extra diagonal bits that make them into reverse arrows.
- jowsie 5y ago
  Can confirm this is how UK spec Mini's behave.
tblt 5y ago
> I’d expect the driver may find their car burnt out sooner rather than later Forgive my ignorance, does anti-UK sentiment really run this deep in Ireland today or is this hyperbole?
- knolan 5y ago
  In the general population no, but for the type of person who engages in antisocial behaviour I fully expect this to happen. The irony is that the they would do it while wearing a UK football team’s jersey. http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2007/p2240016.jpg http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2007/p2240016.jpg

by knolan 5y ago

vinay427 5y ago

> Flashing the red brake light is a North American thing Nowadays, the brake light is rarely used. It's usually a different part of the taillight cluster which may be red or amber, and most manufacturers (especially European ones, ironically) sometimes choose to use a red one for NA markets. The complaint here isn't that the brake lights are being used, but that the turn signal is designed like this.

knolan 5y ago
I agree, it’s a baffling decision. I had a brief look to see if I could see the European implementation but I’ve not found anything yet. Edit: here is an example: https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0272/7303/5875/products/1_086e8c91-1cc1-49a6-8092-cfa81a2f0536_1024x1024.jpg?v=1589059456 https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0272/7303/5875/products/1_...
masklinn 5y ago
> It's usually a different part of the taillight cluster which may be red or amber, Which remains one of the issues, even if it's not technically a brake light. In Europe red turning signs are not legal. But I can see how the same turn signal in amber would help very little, as you'd still have a very clear, very bright arrow pointing the wrong way entirely.

Hamuko 5y ago

I find it crazy that Americans allow turn signals to use the same red lights as brakes considering how many different safety rules they have. Like how all cars have to have amber reflectors on the front bumpers, which almost all European cars have to add almost as an afterthought [1], or how the door lock pins can't be flush with the door (at least I assume this is regulation since I never see non-flush door lock pins in European cars). And now the most recent one is the mandatory backup cameras, and I don't think I know any other country in the world where those are mandated by law. [1] https://live.staticflickr.com/4623/39623465442_7519e01f0b_o.jpg https://live.staticflickr.com/4623/39623465442_7519e01f0b_o....

jdavis703 5y ago
America has the highest per capita traffic deaths among OECD countries. Our traffic / vehicle regulations aren’t that strong and are rarely enforced on after-market modifications. This is getting downvotes, but it’s literally legal to drive a jacked up, high center of gravity pickup trucks in the US. Meanwhile in Europe such a modification would be illegal because it reduces front-facing visibility.
- kibwen 5y ago
  Per miles driven the US has an average number of traffic deaths. The problem is that the country's infrastructure is designed so poorly that the number of miles driven per capita is laughably absurd.
  - kashura 5y ago
    Maybe the root cause is the laughably easy barrier of entry to have a license to drive a death missile? It's a multi faceted issue of course, but to me, getting better educated drivers on the road is by far the easiest problem to solve around driving.
    - jdavis703 5y ago
      I would say almost everyone knows not to text and drive, or run red lights or to speed. Yet these are all frequent occurrences. Even proposals to add speed or red light cameras (with strict rules to prevent municipal abuse) face heavy opposition. I don’t think education alone will fix traffic safety.
      - oblio 5y ago
        Speed cameras I can (kind of) understand, but what possible reasonable explanation could they have for blocking red light camera installation?
        5y ago

fredoralive 5y ago

European Minis have those stupid looking Union Jack light clusters, but IIRC it’s just the horizontal bar that flashes yellow on those, not the extra diagonal bits that make them into reverse arrows.

jowsie 5y ago
Can confirm this is how UK spec Mini's behave.

tblt 5y ago

> I’d expect the driver may find their car burnt out sooner rather than later Forgive my ignorance, does anti-UK sentiment really run this deep in Ireland today or is this hyperbole?

knolan 5y ago
In the general population no, but for the type of person who engages in antisocial behaviour I fully expect this to happen. The irony is that the they would do it while wearing a UK football team’s jersey. http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2007/p2240016.jpg http://www.indymedia.ie/attachments/feb2007/p2240016.jpg