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It's weird it took her so long to realize what was happening - I knew as soon as I read the first paragraph what was going on. I suppose it's because I am youn

by ummonk 5y ago

It's weird it took her so long to realize what was happening - I knew as soon as I read the first paragraph what was going on. I suppose it's because I am younger (and thus have memories of being a kid) and was rather short as a kid, so I know what sorts of limited visibility you can have as a kid, and more recently I'm also used to driving at confusing intersections where it's not clear which light applies.

PebblesRox 5y ago
I still remember the moment I realized (maybe at age 5 or so?) that even the cars coming toward us on the left side of the road were driving on the right side of the road from their perspective.
lucb1e 5y ago
Your comment was the top one and it encouraged me to just click through to the article and... I just don't get it after the first paragraph. Indeed, colour blindness? But that doesn't make you "know" it wrong, that makes you not be able to tell (afaik). So then... the kid was either joking, had learned it the wrong way around, or tied the name 'red' to the bottom position perhaps. ... turns out it's a localization problem. If you're sitting too low at the front of the queue, you'd see the overhead traffic light often better than the drivers do. I didn't think that this must, of course, be another USA-localization story and the traffic lights are elsewhere over there (across the crossing I guess). > used to driving at confusing intersections where it's not clear which light applies and I guess that explains why there are different systems. Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to.
- nkurz 5y ago
  I'm not sure if you caught this or not, but I think the actual key to the story is that the child in the rear seat of the car and looking out the side window at the light for the stopped crossing traffic. Unfortunately for the anecdote, the "rear seat" part isn't mentioned until the 4th paragraph: "So I was in the back seat sitting next to Ben". I think the issue is that in the US, all children below some age must be in a car seat, and in some US states, that car seat must be in the back of the car. The author presumed that by mentioning her son was 3 at the time, that her audience would automatically understand that he was in the rear of the car. Even as an American, I didn't. I think it would make a better story if this was made explicit.
  - darkerside 5y ago
    You ever seen a 3 year old in the front seat?
    - nkurz 5y ago
      Yes. I'm 50, and grew up before the common use of car seats for children. Children of all ages would commonly ride in the front seat, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Even today, only about half the states have rules specifying that the carseats must be installed in the rear: https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ As a fun anecdote, my father grew up prior to the time that most cars even came with factory seat belts. Before taking a family trip to Alaska in the 50's, his mother read about them and demanded that her husband install them in the station wagon before the trip. So he bought straps and buckles of some sort from a hardware store, and bolted them on so that all 6 kids would have "seatbelts" for the trip.
      - maroonblazer 5y ago
        But you're 50. I'm 55, and for the large majority of my life (and presumably smaller than yours) kids were relegated to the back seat.
        TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
        Remember getting stuck with the "hump" in the middle of the floor? I guess it was only a problem if you have more than one sibling and your parents had rear-wheel drive.
        aaron695 5y ago
        Infernal 5y ago
        Maybe state dependent? I’m not yet 40 and recall being excited that I could finally ride up front when I turned 3.
- ajmurmann 5y ago
  > Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to. As a German in the US, I find the positioning of traffic lights to be one of the very few traffic-related this that are better in the US. In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all. I never have an issue seeing the traffic light in the US. Figuring out which light is yours very rarely is a problem. At least not on the west coast where you usually have grid patterns.
  - lucb1e 5y ago
    > In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all. Yeah that's exactly the issue I meant. I've never seen anything else though, so I don't know if it's better or worse. Just that the person I was replying to said they were sometimes confused by the US system. I guess my approach to all this is to not drive as much and especially not much while in cities where there are traffic lights .. and public transport options. But if you've moved to the USA I suppose that's probably just not an option for you :/
sgustard 5y ago
That's funny since I am older, and I sat in the front seat of the car my entire childhood; there were no car seats. When my mother had to make a sudden stop she'd hold out her arm to keep me in place. I remember being dazzled by the arrival of a light with 5 signals (yellow and green arrow and circle) and begging to stay in the intersection to watch them all cycle.
robofanatic 5y ago
wow, I am exactly opposite. I didnt realize until I read the full story. I am in my 40s and didn't have car until I was in my 20s and actually rarely sat in one because of abundant public transport at the place where I grew up.
skinpop 5y ago
Isn't this just another example illustrating her point?
hnlmorg 5y ago
I don't think it's an age thing, I think it was just bloody obvious. So much so that I suspect that story was embellished a lot of dramatic effect. ie the author figured it out themselves quicker than they claimed to but it wouldn't have been as dramatic read if it was the literal sequence of events. Another oddity was the suggested age: 3 years old is very later to be teaching your kids the different between red and green. Also worth baring in mind that the story happened roughly 20 years ago and I certainly can't remember every conversation I had with my family 20 years ago.
3minus1 5y ago
Something about the context--this is a short article posted to HackerNews--makes it easier to realize. I already had a feeling that the story was leading to the adult being wrong somehow.

by ummonk 5y ago

PebblesRox 5y ago

I still remember the moment I realized (maybe at age 5 or so?) that even the cars coming toward us on the left side of the road were driving on the right side of the road from their perspective.

lucb1e 5y ago

Your comment was the top one and it encouraged me to just click through to the article and... I just don't get it after the first paragraph. Indeed, colour blindness? But that doesn't make you "know" it wrong, that makes you not be able to tell (afaik). So then... the kid was either joking, had learned it the wrong way around, or tied the name 'red' to the bottom position perhaps. ... turns out it's a localization problem. If you're sitting too low at the front of the queue, you'd see the overhead traffic light often better than the drivers do. I didn't think that this must, of course, be another USA-localization story and the traffic lights are elsewhere over there (across the crossing I guess). > used to driving at confusing intersections where it's not clear which light applies and I guess that explains why there are different systems. Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to.

nkurz 5y ago
I'm not sure if you caught this or not, but I think the actual key to the story is that the child in the rear seat of the car and looking out the side window at the light for the stopped crossing traffic. Unfortunately for the anecdote, the "rear seat" part isn't mentioned until the 4th paragraph: "So I was in the back seat sitting next to Ben". I think the issue is that in the US, all children below some age must be in a car seat, and in some US states, that car seat must be in the back of the car. The author presumed that by mentioning her son was 3 at the time, that her audience would automatically understand that he was in the rear of the car. Even as an American, I didn't. I think it would make a better story if this was made explicit.
- darkerside 5y ago
  You ever seen a 3 year old in the front seat?
  - nkurz 5y ago
    Yes. I'm 50, and grew up before the common use of car seats for children. Children of all ages would commonly ride in the front seat, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Even today, only about half the states have rules specifying that the carseats must be installed in the rear: https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/ As a fun anecdote, my father grew up prior to the time that most cars even came with factory seat belts. Before taking a family trip to Alaska in the 50's, his mother read about them and demanded that her husband install them in the station wagon before the trip. So he bought straps and buckles of some sort from a hardware store, and bolted them on so that all 6 kids would have "seatbelts" for the trip.
    - maroonblazer 5y ago
      But you're 50. I'm 55, and for the large majority of my life (and presumably smaller than yours) kids were relegated to the back seat.
      - TedDoesntTalk 5y ago
        Remember getting stuck with the "hump" in the middle of the floor? I guess it was only a problem if you have more than one sibling and your parents had rear-wheel drive.
        aaron695 5y ago
      - Infernal 5y ago
        Maybe state dependent? I’m not yet 40 and recall being excited that I could finally ride up front when I turned 3.
ajmurmann 5y ago
> Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to. As a German in the US, I find the positioning of traffic lights to be one of the very few traffic-related this that are better in the US. In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all. I never have an issue seeing the traffic light in the US. Figuring out which light is yours very rarely is a problem. At least not on the west coast where you usually have grid patterns.
- lucb1e 5y ago
  > In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all. Yeah that's exactly the issue I meant. I've never seen anything else though, so I don't know if it's better or worse. Just that the person I was replying to said they were sometimes confused by the US system. I guess my approach to all this is to not drive as much and especially not much while in cities where there are traffic lights .. and public transport options. But if you've moved to the USA I suppose that's probably just not an option for you :/

sgustard 5y ago

That's funny since I am older, and I sat in the front seat of the car my entire childhood; there were no car seats. When my mother had to make a sudden stop she'd hold out her arm to keep me in place. I remember being dazzled by the arrival of a light with 5 signals (yellow and green arrow and circle) and begging to stay in the intersection to watch them all cycle.

robofanatic 5y ago

wow, I am exactly opposite. I didnt realize until I read the full story. I am in my 40s and didn't have car until I was in my 20s and actually rarely sat in one because of abundant public transport at the place where I grew up.

skinpop 5y ago

Isn't this just another example illustrating her point?

hnlmorg 5y ago

I don't think it's an age thing, I think it was just bloody obvious. So much so that I suspect that story was embellished a lot of dramatic effect. ie the author figured it out themselves quicker than they claimed to but it wouldn't have been as dramatic read if it was the literal sequence of events. Another oddity was the suggested age: 3 years old is very later to be teaching your kids the different between red and green. Also worth baring in mind that the story happened roughly 20 years ago and I certainly can't remember every conversation I had with my family 20 years ago.

3minus1 5y ago

Something about the context--this is a short article posted to HackerNews--makes it easier to realize. I already had a feeling that the story was leading to the adult being wrong somehow.