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I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval. Thank you, you’re welcome, go ahead. Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking. P

I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval. Thank you, you’re welcome, go ahead. Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking. Pedestrian crossings, intersection cross turns etc. At least I know it’s possible now.

wanderingstan 3y ago
As my friend pointed out, on the road everyone has extreme autism; only one ambiguous signal for conveying any emotion.
PlunderBunny 3y ago
Where I am (New Zealand), turning on the emergency lights while driving for 2 or 3 ‘blinks’ is understood to mean ‘thank you’.
- ApolIllo 3y ago
  Truck drivers do that in the US. I do that in my car, too. Sometimes it's too dark to see the handwave out the back window.
- cromulent 3y ago
  I used to do that in Australia, using the "hazard lights". In Finland, they are indeed called "emergency lights" and the police are rather strict about using them only in emergencies - e.g. not when simply pulled over to use your phone or calm your toddler.
- crabsand 3y ago
  This is true for Turkey as well.
bonestamp2 3y ago
Ya, or several different horn sounds.
dist-epoch 3y ago
> Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking. Pedestrian crossings The safer thing to do is just estimate the speed of the car and it's breaking. I never cross if it's obvious that at current speed/deceleration I don't have time to clear it. This tends to frustrate drivers because it makes them break harder (since I don't start crossing while looking at them) and it takes me longer to cross (since I start later), but I don't care.
SamBam 3y ago
As a cyclist, I always want cars to have a blue flashing indicator opposite the yellow turning signal, such that if you're turning right the right side flashes yellow (amber) and the left side flashes blue. If I'm biking on one side of the car, I can't often tell why it's slowing down suddenly like it's about to turn when its signals are hidden on the other side. It's 50/50 whether it's turning the other way, or about to turn right into me and didn't bother to signal. On a related topic, why aren't turning signals standardized to be the outermost light? I hate it when signal are inside of the headlights, because, again, I get people turning into me and I can't see their signal.
- bad_username 3y ago
  This is why I'd like cars to be able to signal "I am going straight". Today it's unclear if they go straight or simply forgot to signal. On a bike guessing wrong can be very dangerous, so one has to err on the side of caution, which is inconvenient and has its own dangers.
CaptainOfCoit 3y ago
> I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval ... go ahead. Not sure I agree with the "go ahead", it should never be ambiguous who's turn it is. > Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking But this yes! How come the brake lights are just in the back and not also in the front? So obvious it should be.
- kmoser 3y ago
  > Not sure I agree with the "go ahead", it should never be ambiguous who's turn it is. Legally it may not be ambiguous but in reality some drivers don't remember they have the right-of-way and you have to remind them, otherwise it becomes a stalemate. Also sometimes you have the right-of-way but you want to yield it because, e.g. you need more time to process the situation (is that a small animal in the road? do I need to turn left here instead?) or you simply want to be a good Samaritan (let that pedestrian cross even though they are technically jaywalking). I always drive with headlights on, and my way of yielding (or simply telling the other car or person to go ahead) is to flash my headlights a couple of times.
  - CaptainOfCoit 3y ago
    > don't remember they have the right-of-way and you have to remind them, otherwise it becomes a stalemate Then that's the problem, that people don't remember the right-of-way. In these cases, I simply wait for them, trying to signal to them with my hand or my horn, as it is their right-of-way. > simply want to be a good Samaritan (let that pedestrian cross even though they are technically jaywalking) This causes accidents though, as suddenly you're driving unpredictable because you're trying to be nice. And yes, I'm not saying other drivers aren't unpredictable already, but less of that would certainly be better. Be educated, be right and be safe. Then both drivers and pedestrians end up in less accidents.
    - kmoser 3y ago
      > Then that's the problem, that people don't remember the right-of-way. In these cases, I simply wait for them, trying to signal to them with my hand or my horn, as it is their right-of-way. So now you're advocating for what @cromulent wrote: "I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval ... go ahead" (i.e. a way to signal to the other driver), but a few comments above you disagreed with the need for a special light to do just that. Since you obviously think there's occasionally a need to signal to the other driver that you are yielding to them, why wouldn't you want a light to do so? Hands only work when they can see you (hands aren't always visible through glass due to reflections, and you don't want to roll down your window when it's raining hard) and horns only work when they can hear you (not hearing impaired or listening to music on headphones) and understand that a honk means "you can go!", not "watch out, here I come!" > This causes accidents though, as suddenly you're driving unpredictable because you're trying to be nice. Who said anything about being unpredictable? If I have to slow down to avoid a pedestrian, I'm going to do it, even if it means a slight chance of being rear-ended by the driver behind me who isn't driving a safe distance. That's also a perfect example of a time when I'd want to yield to the pedestrian so they can get out of the road without me having to swerve left or right to avoid them. What better way to tell them I'm yielding than with a special light designed to convey that?

wanderingstan 3y ago

As my friend pointed out, on the road everyone has extreme autism; only one ambiguous signal for conveying any emotion.

PlunderBunny 3y ago

Where I am (New Zealand), turning on the emergency lights while driving for 2 or 3 ‘blinks’ is understood to mean ‘thank you’.

ApolIllo 3y ago
Truck drivers do that in the US. I do that in my car, too. Sometimes it's too dark to see the handwave out the back window.
cromulent 3y ago
I used to do that in Australia, using the "hazard lights". In Finland, they are indeed called "emergency lights" and the police are rather strict about using them only in emergencies - e.g. not when simply pulled over to use your phone or calm your toddler.
crabsand 3y ago
This is true for Turkey as well.

bonestamp2 3y ago

Ya, or several different horn sounds.

dist-epoch 3y ago

> Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking. Pedestrian crossings The safer thing to do is just estimate the speed of the car and it's breaking. I never cross if it's obvious that at current speed/deceleration I don't have time to clear it. This tends to frustrate drivers because it makes them break harder (since I don't start crossing while looking at them) and it takes me longer to cross (since I start later), but I don't care.

SamBam 3y ago

As a cyclist, I always want cars to have a blue flashing indicator opposite the yellow turning signal, such that if you're turning right the right side flashes yellow (amber) and the left side flashes blue. If I'm biking on one side of the car, I can't often tell why it's slowing down suddenly like it's about to turn when its signals are hidden on the other side. It's 50/50 whether it's turning the other way, or about to turn right into me and didn't bother to signal. On a related topic, why aren't turning signals standardized to be the outermost light? I hate it when signal are inside of the headlights, because, again, I get people turning into me and I can't see their signal.

bad_username 3y ago
This is why I'd like cars to be able to signal "I am going straight". Today it's unclear if they go straight or simply forgot to signal. On a bike guessing wrong can be very dangerous, so one has to err on the side of caution, which is inconvenient and has its own dangers.

CaptainOfCoit 3y ago

> I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval ... go ahead. Not sure I agree with the "go ahead", it should never be ambiguous who's turn it is. > Also, front brake lights for people to see you are braking But this yes! How come the brake lights are just in the back and not also in the front? So obvious it should be.

kmoser 3y ago
> Not sure I agree with the "go ahead", it should never be ambiguous who's turn it is. Legally it may not be ambiguous but in reality some drivers don't remember they have the right-of-way and you have to remind them, otherwise it becomes a stalemate. Also sometimes you have the right-of-way but you want to yield it because, e.g. you need more time to process the situation (is that a small animal in the road? do I need to turn left here instead?) or you simply want to be a good Samaritan (let that pedestrian cross even though they are technically jaywalking). I always drive with headlights on, and my way of yielding (or simply telling the other car or person to go ahead) is to flash my headlights a couple of times.
- CaptainOfCoit 3y ago
  > don't remember they have the right-of-way and you have to remind them, otherwise it becomes a stalemate Then that's the problem, that people don't remember the right-of-way. In these cases, I simply wait for them, trying to signal to them with my hand or my horn, as it is their right-of-way. > simply want to be a good Samaritan (let that pedestrian cross even though they are technically jaywalking) This causes accidents though, as suddenly you're driving unpredictable because you're trying to be nice. And yes, I'm not saying other drivers aren't unpredictable already, but less of that would certainly be better. Be educated, be right and be safe. Then both drivers and pedestrians end up in less accidents.
  - kmoser 3y ago
    > Then that's the problem, that people don't remember the right-of-way. In these cases, I simply wait for them, trying to signal to them with my hand or my horn, as it is their right-of-way. So now you're advocating for what @cromulent wrote: "I’ve always wanted another light on cars to signal approval ... go ahead" (i.e. a way to signal to the other driver), but a few comments above you disagreed with the need for a special light to do just that. Since you obviously think there's occasionally a need to signal to the other driver that you are yielding to them, why wouldn't you want a light to do so? Hands only work when they can see you (hands aren't always visible through glass due to reflections, and you don't want to roll down your window when it's raining hard) and horns only work when they can hear you (not hearing impaired or listening to music on headphones) and understand that a honk means "you can go!", not "watch out, here I come!" > This causes accidents though, as suddenly you're driving unpredictable because you're trying to be nice. Who said anything about being unpredictable? If I have to slow down to avoid a pedestrian, I'm going to do it, even if it means a slight chance of being rear-ended by the driver behind me who isn't driving a safe distance. That's also a perfect example of a time when I'd want to yield to the pedestrian so they can get out of the road without me having to swerve left or right to avoid them. What better way to tell them I'm yielding than with a special light designed to convey that?