![]() Each step up the ladder gives increased light output with less electric consumption. Laser lights are to LEDs what LEDs were to HIDs, and what HIDs were to halogen tungsten-filament lights. lighting regulations don’t allow us to take advantage of their additional light output in the first place. ![]() There’s nothing wrong with laser lights, but draconian U.S. This is especially frustrating when “premium” carmakers save a few pennies by using red turn signals (and therefore put their customers in statistically verified danger) at the same time they’re adding expensive things like radar sensors. And while upgrading from red turn signals adds anywhere from a few cents to $10 per car, I bet you’d pay ten bucks extra if your $100,000 German luxury car could promise a 1-in-20 reduction in the likelihood of getting rammed from behind. Amber blinkers cost nothing in additional R&D, since almost every other country in the world already requires them. That radar sensor is why even a base Toyota Corolla now has adaptive cruise control standard.Īnd that radar sensor is far more expensive than amber turn signals. This program has already encouraged automakers to equip their products with radar sensors so they can perform automatic emergency braking. The agency is finally contemplating adding amber turn signals to the list of criteria that adds up to a Five Star Safety Rating. That means switching the color of a turn signal’s bulb is 25 percent more effective than adding an entire additional brake light, yet NHTSA hasn’t issued any kind of mandate. By comparison, the third brake light mandated in 1986 reduces rear-end collisions by just 4.3 percent. ![]() Conclusion: A change from red to orange accounts for a 5.3 percent reduction in rear-end collisions. ![]() without changes to the body or the size and shape of the taillight housing itself. This time it limited the crash data to cars whose rear blinkers had switched color (from red to orange or vice-versa) in a midcycle face-lift, i.e. The following year, NHTSA did a second analysis to eliminate any inherent biases due to buyer characteristics, lens type, or even physical separation between red and amber elements. A 2008 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study concluded that, in the real world, cars with red turn signals are, on average, 22 percent more likely to be hit from behind than cars with amber indicators during a turn-signal-relevant maneuver such as turning, changing lanes, or parking. Our government has known for decades that amber turn signals save lives. This story originally appeared in the July 2020 issue of Road & Track. unless your car has red turn signals, in which case the maker of your car has put you in harm’s way. The aggregate contribution of these devices adds up to the incredibly complicated, technologically advanced modern car. Even sun visors and windshield wipers, which seem more like convenience items, are actually there for safety. We tend to first think of things like electronic stability control and automatic emergency braking, but there are far more basic things keeping you safe, including headlights and horns. Thus, your car is a rolling arsenal of expensive safety equipment designed to prevent you from smashing into stuff. Forget airbags-the best way to survive any accident is to avoid having it in the first place.
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