It would be nice if policies could be created in a vacuum, based purely on science and sound reasoning, unencumbered by entrenched business interests and tradition. If that were the case, gasoline (and diesel) would cost $7/gallon, trucks would be relegated to the right lane at reduced speed, graduated licensing would be the norm and annual safety inspections would ensure that every vehicle is road-worthy.
Instead, reality is firmly entrenched in our law-creating and rule-making process. Of course, anything that requires an actual law faces the brutal onslaught of 535 elected officials who are strongly influenced by their political donors. The few issues that our professional regulatory bodies are allowed control are also exposed to outside influences, ether via public comments for proposed rules or regulatory oversight by Congress. With so many chances to influence potential laws and rules, few ideas make it through the process in their original fashion.
Some don’t seem to get anywhere at all. This includes common sense measures such as adopting the metric system, which has been established by the US Congress multiple times, including with the aptly named Metric Conversion Act of 1975. Another loser in the regulatory minefield seems to include mandating amber, rear turn signals.
Yes I’m a fan. It just makes sense. Too often, a driver’s turn signal can be misinterpreted for braking. This is especially in heavy traffic or foggy conditions that can obstruct the view. Some trucks and trailers are especially egregious, having only two rear indicators. They are both red and function as brake lights, turn signals and running lights combined. Amber blinkers in the back are mandated in other countries (EU, Japan, etc.) and I favor harmonizing these types of rules. Color coding lights seems like a good idea. Ideally, each colored light should have one clear meaning, such as these:
- Amber - car changes direction
- White - car is coming towards you
- Red - car is braking
Instead, our current system is rather flexible. By law, front turn signals must be amber. The front-fender or rearview mirror mounted turn signals can be amber or red and the rear turn signals can be amber or red. My favorite combination is amber in front, red at the sides and amber in the back.
Traditionally, American vehicles had red rear turn signals while Asian and European ones were amber. Unfortunately, this has changed. Many if not most, European vehicles now favor red. I assume this must be for styling reasons.
Unfortunately, what makes intuitive sense to me is not necessarily backed up by science. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) worked with the University of Michigan to conduct a study to study whether amber rear turn signals reduce traffic crashes. The results seemed to indicate that there is a slight reduction in the number of accidents but that other factors, such as the candle power of the lights, color of the reflectors and separation of the turn signal from the other signals are all contributing factors.
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