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Brake lights being the color of stop lights is helpful because it's a reminder to stop, just as turn signals being the color of caution lights is helpful as a r

Brake lights being the color of stop lights is helpful because it's a reminder to stop, just as turn signals being the color of caution lights is helpful as a reminder to be cautious of a turning vehicle. Green lights don't fall into either category, being generally a cue to step on the gas.

windows2020 3y ago
For an example of lack of respect for existing patterns, see the HAWK signal.
- theamk 3y ago
  that one is so crazy.. how on earth could anyone think that re-purposing "STOP RIGHT AWAY OR YOU WILL BE HIT BY TRAIN" signal into "ok to proceed after stop" was a good idea?
  - windows2020 3y ago
    The first time I encountered one it was off. So, I alone slowed thinking it was malfunctioning. Even worse is when the power goes out, these default to indicating there is no one there.
- happytiger 3y ago
  I thought that was going to be awesome because of the name. So disappointed lol. For those who don’t know this name, even if you’ve seen it, here is an great discussion about it: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/30/roadshow-gasp-clearing-confusion-of-new-hawk-signals/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/30/roadshow-gasp-clearin... > No. During a flashing red, a driver may proceed if the pedestrian/bicycle rider has cleared their lanes of travel. (And people are deeply confused about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/brqwbc/reminder_flashing_red_light_at_a_hawk_signal/ https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/brqwbc/reminder_fl...) > Drivers should always use caution while passing a HAWK signal as a pedestrian or bicyclist may fail to push the activation button and begin to cross. How? What? Who designs things like this?
  - pests 3y ago
    Wait, I'm a little confused on the confusion. Are flashing reds not common? In my area a lot of lights switch to flashing red at night or just intersections will be flashing red (and flashing yellow opposite - one way stop signs) all the time. If I ever saw a flashing red I would know to treat it like a stop sign even at a foreign intersection. Or am I misunderstanding the HAWK system?
    - windows2020 3y ago
      Single flashing red = stop sign. Alternating flashing red (school busses and railroad crossings) = stop until signal goes out... except in case of HAWK.
      - happytiger 3y ago
        Precisely.
- jwestbury 3y ago
  Honestly, confusion here is just poor driver education in the US. HAWK signals follow normal patterns: Amber is caution/be prepared to stop. Red is stop. Flashing red is "stop until clear," i.e., use as a stop sign. This is true for all traffic lights in the US. Having originally gotten my license in the US -- in what is apparently the hardest state to get a license in (WA) -- and now in the UK, I can say emphatically that US driver education is severely lacking.
arprocter 3y ago
As a limey I've never been able to figure out why the US likes red turn signals on the rear Perhaps it means less complexity (depends if the bulb is coloured or the assembly), although that seems to be cancelled out by the lack of differentiation between braking and turning They also don't really bother with fog lights
- happytiger 3y ago
  From Wikipedia Until the early 1960s, most front turn signals worldwide emitted white light and most rear turn signals emitted red. Amber front turn signals were voluntarily adopted by the auto industry in the USA for most vehicles beginning in the 1963 model year,[40][41] though the advent of amber signals was accompanied by legal stumbles in some states[42] and front turn signals were still legally permitted to emit white light until FMVSS 108 took effect for the 1968 model year, whereupon amber became the only permissible front turn signal colour. Presently, almost all countries outside North America require that all front, side and rear turn signals produce amber light. In North America the rear signals may be amber or red. American regulators and other proponents of red rear turn signals have historically asserted there is no proven safety benefit to amber signals, though it has been recognized since the 1960s that amber turn signals are more quickly spotted than red ones.[43][44][45] International proponents of amber rear signals say they are more easily discernible as turn signals,[46] and U.S. studies in the early 1990s demonstrated improvements in the speed and accuracy of following drivers' reaction to stop lamps when the turn signals were amber rather than red.[46][47][48][49][50] A 2008 U.S. study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) suggests vehicles with amber rear signals rather than red ones are up to 28% less likely to be involved in certain kinds of collisions,[51] and a 2009 NHTSA study determined there is a significant overall safety benefit to amber rather than red rear turn signals.[52] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Turn_signal_colour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Turn_signal... I was taught that it’s really about saving money by having fewer parts though. One color light means rear lights can double up as signals AND brake lights. But the whole debate about it is fascinating and a great little history lesson.
  - jinushaun 3y ago

windows2020 3y ago

For an example of lack of respect for existing patterns, see the HAWK signal.

theamk 3y ago
that one is so crazy.. how on earth could anyone think that re-purposing "STOP RIGHT AWAY OR YOU WILL BE HIT BY TRAIN" signal into "ok to proceed after stop" was a good idea?
- windows2020 3y ago
  The first time I encountered one it was off. So, I alone slowed thinking it was malfunctioning. Even worse is when the power goes out, these default to indicating there is no one there.
happytiger 3y ago
I thought that was going to be awesome because of the name. So disappointed lol. For those who don’t know this name, even if you’ve seen it, here is an great discussion about it: https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/30/roadshow-gasp-clearing-confusion-of-new-hawk-signals/ https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/01/30/roadshow-gasp-clearin... > No. During a flashing red, a driver may proceed if the pedestrian/bicycle rider has cleared their lanes of travel. (And people are deeply confused about this: https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/brqwbc/reminder_flashing_red_light_at_a_hawk_signal/ https://www.reddit.com/r/phoenix/comments/brqwbc/reminder_fl...) > Drivers should always use caution while passing a HAWK signal as a pedestrian or bicyclist may fail to push the activation button and begin to cross. How? What? Who designs things like this?
- pests 3y ago
  Wait, I'm a little confused on the confusion. Are flashing reds not common? In my area a lot of lights switch to flashing red at night or just intersections will be flashing red (and flashing yellow opposite - one way stop signs) all the time. If I ever saw a flashing red I would know to treat it like a stop sign even at a foreign intersection. Or am I misunderstanding the HAWK system?
  - windows2020 3y ago
    Single flashing red = stop sign. Alternating flashing red (school busses and railroad crossings) = stop until signal goes out... except in case of HAWK.
    - happytiger 3y ago
      Precisely.
jwestbury 3y ago
Honestly, confusion here is just poor driver education in the US. HAWK signals follow normal patterns: Amber is caution/be prepared to stop. Red is stop. Flashing red is "stop until clear," i.e., use as a stop sign. This is true for all traffic lights in the US. Having originally gotten my license in the US -- in what is apparently the hardest state to get a license in (WA) -- and now in the UK, I can say emphatically that US driver education is severely lacking.

arprocter 3y ago

As a limey I've never been able to figure out why the US likes red turn signals on the rear Perhaps it means less complexity (depends if the bulb is coloured or the assembly), although that seems to be cancelled out by the lack of differentiation between braking and turning They also don't really bother with fog lights

happytiger 3y ago
From Wikipedia Until the early 1960s, most front turn signals worldwide emitted white light and most rear turn signals emitted red. Amber front turn signals were voluntarily adopted by the auto industry in the USA for most vehicles beginning in the 1963 model year,[40][41] though the advent of amber signals was accompanied by legal stumbles in some states[42] and front turn signals were still legally permitted to emit white light until FMVSS 108 took effect for the 1968 model year, whereupon amber became the only permissible front turn signal colour. Presently, almost all countries outside North America require that all front, side and rear turn signals produce amber light. In North America the rear signals may be amber or red. American regulators and other proponents of red rear turn signals have historically asserted there is no proven safety benefit to amber signals, though it has been recognized since the 1960s that amber turn signals are more quickly spotted than red ones.[43][44][45] International proponents of amber rear signals say they are more easily discernible as turn signals,[46] and U.S. studies in the early 1990s demonstrated improvements in the speed and accuracy of following drivers' reaction to stop lamps when the turn signals were amber rather than red.[46][47][48][49][50] A 2008 U.S. study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) suggests vehicles with amber rear signals rather than red ones are up to 28% less likely to be involved in certain kinds of collisions,[51] and a 2009 NHTSA study determined there is a significant overall safety benefit to amber rather than red rear turn signals.[52] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Turn_signal_colour http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automotive_lighting#Turn_signal... I was taught that it’s really about saving money by having fewer parts though. One color light means rear lights can double up as signals AND brake lights. But the whole debate about it is fascinating and a great little history lesson.
- jinushaun 3y ago