WEBVTT Kind: captions Language: en 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.020 Turn signals. 00:00:01.020 --> 00:00:02.360 They’re a good invention. 00:00:02.380 --> 00:00:03.460 Use them. 00:00:03.540 --> 00:00:07.860 Every motor vehicle legal for road use has to have a certain number of exterior lights 00:00:07.870 --> 00:00:10.700 and indicators to be considered roadworthy. 00:00:10.700 --> 00:00:14.080 This is practically a worldwide truth, and for good reason. 00:00:14.080 --> 00:00:18.320 Putting our fragile meat bags into metal boxes capable of traveling speeds well in excess 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:22.179 of what our bodies can naturally accomplish is inherently dangerous. 00:00:22.179 --> 00:00:26.500 To help make this activity just a little bit safer, governments world-over have mandated 00:00:26.500 --> 00:00:30.640 that these high-speed mechanical conveyance devices be fitted with indicator lights to 00:00:30.640 --> 00:00:34.690 help inform the humans in control of other dangerous driving machines just what sort 00:00:34.690 --> 00:00:39.370 of action the vehicles around them are currently doing, or about to do. 00:00:39.370 --> 00:00:41.600 Hopefully, this helps avoid collisions. 00:00:41.600 --> 00:00:42.600 And it does! 00:00:42.600 --> 00:00:44.600 But there’s one continent in particular 00:00:44.600 --> 00:00:46.040 --North America-- 00:00:46.040 --> 00:00:47.460 that allows tail lights that are 00:00:47.460 --> 00:00:52.239 proven to be a safety compromise, that would seem bizarre to anyone living in Europe, and 00:00:52.239 --> 00:00:54.769 which frustrate me to no end. 00:00:54.769 --> 00:00:55.850 What is that compromise? 00:00:55.850 --> 00:00:57.500 Well, let’s take a look. 00:00:58.360 --> 00:01:01.420 Oh no, I’m gonna have to go outside for this, aren’t I? 00:01:01.420 --> 00:01:02.380 Gah! 00:01:02.380 --> 00:01:03.380 Nature! 00:01:03.740 --> 00:01:06.780 This is a 2002 Honda Odyssey. 00:01:06.780 --> 00:01:12.200 It’s a minivan, the most exciting and desirable class of vehicles available today. 00:01:12.200 --> 00:01:15.300 This vehicle is following European tail light standards. 00:01:15.300 --> 00:01:17.920 Notice this red section of the tail light. 00:01:17.930 --> 00:01:21.890 This is the brake light, activated by the brake light switch on the brake pedal, and 00:01:21.890 --> 00:01:26.270 whenever it’s lit, you know without a doubt that the driver is slowing down (at least 00:01:26.270 --> 00:01:29.670 barring a mechanical issue or a driver riding the brake). 00:01:29.670 --> 00:01:33.450 With the aid of the third brake light, there are a total of three indicators to tell drivers 00:01:33.450 --> 00:01:36.360 following the Odyssey that it is slowing down. 00:01:38.050 --> 00:01:41.020 Now notice this amber section of the tail light. 00:01:41.020 --> 00:01:44.750 Whenever it’s lit, you know that the driver is signalling for a turn. 00:01:44.750 --> 00:01:48.210 There is no ambiguity between these two signals. 00:01:48.210 --> 00:01:52.180 Red always means stopping, and amber always means turning. 00:01:52.180 --> 00:01:55.080 This is a 2013 Chevrolet Volt. 00:01:55.080 --> 00:01:59.010 You may have immediately noticed the compromise here but let’s make it more clear. 00:01:59.010 --> 00:02:03.120 If I step on the brake pedal, three lights illuminate just like in the Odyssey. 00:02:03.120 --> 00:02:07.270 But if I hit the turn signal, now one of the brake lights has started flashing. 00:02:07.270 --> 00:02:12.000 There is no amber indicator of any kind on the rear of this vehicle. 00:02:12.000 --> 00:02:16.120 In North America - that’s right, Canada, too - the motor vehicle standards allow for 00:02:16.120 --> 00:02:18.480 red turn signals on the rear. 00:02:18.480 --> 00:02:23.940 But even worse, they allow for one indicator to share the function of both a brake light 00:02:23.940 --> 00:02:25.300 and a turn signal. 00:02:25.310 --> 00:02:29.860 To manufacturers who are continuing to use this lighting setup, I have two words: 00:02:29.860 --> 00:02:31.140 Stop it! 00:02:31.140 --> 00:02:34.880 Now if it’s somehow not obvious that this is a safety compromise, let’s go over the 00:02:34.880 --> 00:02:36.250 reasons why. 00:02:36.250 --> 00:02:38.840 Recall a statement I made 11 sentences ago. 00:02:38.840 --> 00:02:42.680 “There is no ambiguity between these two signals. 00:02:42.680 --> 00:02:46.390 Red always means stopping, and amber always means turning.” 00:02:46.390 --> 00:02:50.490 Well, there most certainly IS signal ambiguity when it comes to this vehicle. 00:02:50.490 --> 00:02:54.970 For other drivers, the only way to discern the meaning of the signal is its behavior. 00:02:54.970 --> 00:02:59.100 A solid light indicates braking, and a flashing light indicates turning. 00:02:59.540 --> 00:03:04.820 Fair enough, but this creates far too many unclear and thus potentially dangerous situations. 00:03:04.830 --> 00:03:07.500 Say you’re following a vehicle with a broken tail light. 00:03:07.500 --> 00:03:13.000 If it were the Volt, then every time the brake pedal is depressed, only one side would illuminate. 00:03:13.000 --> 00:03:16.790 To an American driver, this would appear as a turn signal until the point in which they 00:03:16.790 --> 00:03:19.680 have registered that it isn’t flashing. 00:03:19.680 --> 00:03:24.170 In essence, its function is delayed for however long it takes the person behind you to realize 00:03:24.170 --> 00:03:26.350 that the left tail light is out. 00:03:26.350 --> 00:03:31.440 Granted, the third brake light, mandated for passenger vehicles in 1986, helps by only 00:03:31.440 --> 00:03:36.430 illuminating with the brake pedal, but then you have to rely on the driving knowing that. 00:03:36.430 --> 00:03:42.010 At a glance, this looks like a driver signaling for a right turn, which is not an ideal assumption 00:03:42.010 --> 00:03:43.010 to make. 00:03:43.010 --> 00:03:44.870 They might be slamming on the brake. 00:03:44.870 --> 00:03:49.520 Also, if you’re on an angle and can only see one of the tail lights, again you can’t 00:03:49.520 --> 00:03:51.560 get a clear picture of what’s going on. 00:03:51.560 --> 00:03:55.420 If you’re looking from this angle and the driver has their left turn signal on, then 00:03:55.420 --> 00:03:57.880 you couldn’t see that they are stopping. 00:03:57.880 --> 00:04:01.800 This might be an uncommon problem, but imagine you’re following this car through a left 00:04:01.800 --> 00:04:04.850 turn and you can’t see the other tail light. 00:04:04.850 --> 00:04:09.730 With the left one flashing, it’s up to you to see that the third brake light is lit. 00:04:09.730 --> 00:04:10.800 See the problem? 00:04:10.800 --> 00:04:14.760 Of course if you have a brake light go out, now you’ve also lost a turn signal! 00:04:14.760 --> 00:04:17.280 Say on this car that the left tail light went out. 00:04:17.280 --> 00:04:21.449 Then, every time I step on the brake, it will briefly look as though I’ve engaged my right 00:04:21.449 --> 00:04:24.259 turn signal, since this light hasn’t lit up. 00:04:24.259 --> 00:04:28.530 And even worse, if I am using the right turn signal, now this light can’t function as 00:04:28.530 --> 00:04:32.849 a brake light, and the only thing that will indicate that I’m slowing down is the third 00:04:32.849 --> 00:04:33.949 brake light. 00:04:33.949 --> 00:04:39.150 So with this light out, and that light flashing the only indicator that you’re slowing down 00:04:39.150 --> 00:04:42.129 or stopping is the Center High-Mounted Stop Light (CHMSL). 00:04:42.129 --> 00:04:43.629 That’s pretty dumb! 00:04:43.629 --> 00:04:46.789 Now for the Europeans out there, you might ask what this vehicle looks like with its 00:04:46.789 --> 00:04:47.889 hazards on. 00:04:47.889 --> 00:04:48.889 Let me show you! 00:04:48.889 --> 00:04:50.210 They look like this. 00:04:50.210 --> 00:04:54.830 Now neither one of these lights can function as a brake light! 00:04:54.830 --> 00:04:59.870 If I were driving around with my hazards on, the only indicator that I’m slowing down 00:04:59.870 --> 00:05:01.509 is the third brake light. 00:05:01.509 --> 00:05:05.930 I think it’s for this reason that in Illinois, and other states I’m sure, you cannot drive 00:05:05.930 --> 00:05:08.379 with your hazards on; it’s considered illegal. 00:05:08.379 --> 00:05:11.629 And this is a shame because there are plenty of reasons where you would want to do that, 00:05:11.629 --> 00:05:15.809 such as letting other drivers know that you’re on a spare tire and warning them that you’re 00:05:15.809 --> 00:05:17.169 driving slowly. 00:05:17.169 --> 00:05:23.210 But with this car, with the hazards on, TWO THIRDS of its brake lights are no longer functional 00:05:23.210 --> 00:05:24.560 as brake lights. 00:05:24.560 --> 00:05:28.610 In the Odyssey, the hazards can be on and the brake lights work completely normally. 00:05:28.610 --> 00:05:29.610 But this car? 00:05:29.610 --> 00:05:31.999 Ugh, I can’t stand this design! 00:05:31.999 --> 00:05:35.319 Now there are plenty of vehicles here in the States that use red turn signals, but use 00:05:35.320 --> 00:05:36.900 separate indicators. 00:05:36.900 --> 00:05:43.199 In fact on this Odyssey, from 1999 until 2001, the turn signals were a slightly lighter shade of red. 00:05:43.199 --> 00:05:46.050 That’s better, but there’s still ambiguity. 00:05:46.050 --> 00:05:49.210 For a vehicle in Europe, red light ALWAYS means braking. 00:05:49.210 --> 00:05:51.900 If you ever see red, you know you should slow down. 00:05:51.900 --> 00:05:56.919 But here in North America, that’s right Canada too, red could just mean turning. 00:05:56.919 --> 00:06:01.050 So long as this is allowed, we will always have to deal with signal ambiguity here in 00:06:01.050 --> 00:06:02.369 North America. 00:06:02.369 --> 00:06:06.389 While I’m up on my high horse, let me say to you, car manufacturers in America, could 00:06:06.389 --> 00:06:08.300 you please just stop? 00:06:08.300 --> 00:06:11.279 Why do you continue to use this flawed design? 00:06:11.279 --> 00:06:14.520 Are you so concerned with saving a few dollars per car? 00:06:14.520 --> 00:06:20.200 Multiple studies have shown that there is a clear safety advantage to using amber turn signals. 00:06:20.200 --> 00:06:22.380 Even without a study it should seem obvious-- 00:06:22.380 --> 00:06:25.780 distinguishing function by color will always be faster than 00:06:25.789 --> 00:06:27.819 by whether it’s flashing or not. 00:06:27.819 --> 00:06:32.129 My speculative answer as to why this continues to be a thing in North America is that car 00:06:32.129 --> 00:06:37.569 designers like the cleaner look of red-only tail lights, and the general public just doesn’t 00:06:37.569 --> 00:06:38.729 care enough. 00:06:38.729 --> 00:06:40.449 That second part seems clear. 00:06:40.449 --> 00:06:46.110 When the new Chevrolet Cruze hatchback was released, GM decided to put in amber turn signals. 00:06:46.110 --> 00:06:50.439 SaabKyle04’s review of this car mentioned this, but only as an aside in courtesy of 00:06:50.439 --> 00:06:52.039 those who might prefer it. 00:06:52.039 --> 00:06:55.009 It’s not preference, people, it’s safety. 00:06:55.009 --> 00:06:58.479 It truly baffles me how little people care about this. 00:06:58.479 --> 00:07:02.330 And other times, the design seems to be there, but the function is killed. 00:07:02.330 --> 00:07:06.939 I was thrilled when I saw the design of the tail lights on both the Chevy Cruze sedan 00:07:06.939 --> 00:07:08.460 and the Equinox. 00:07:08.460 --> 00:07:11.680 Two white inserts, one of these is probably an amber turn signal! 00:07:11.680 --> 00:07:14.419 I thought, good going GM, you fixed yourself. 00:07:14.420 --> 00:07:14.960 Nope! 00:07:14.960 --> 00:07:17.880 That one is a reverse light, and that one does nothing. 00:07:17.889 --> 00:07:22.379 Although, I would bet that if either of these cars is to be sold in Europe, you would indeed 00:07:22.380 --> 00:07:25.640 find an amber bulb behind that white lens there. 00:07:25.640 --> 00:07:29.160 Even weirder, this problem isn’t limited to American automakers. 00:07:29.169 --> 00:07:34.139 Sure, your GM, Ford, and Chrysler products are most likely to use this turn-signal brake-light 00:07:34.139 --> 00:07:39.249 two-for-one combo, but a surprising number of Volkswagen and Audi models do it, too. 00:07:39.249 --> 00:07:42.590 They couldn’t get away with it in Europe, but in the US they do. 00:07:42.590 --> 00:07:45.200 That’s why I think it’s a designer preference. 00:07:45.200 --> 00:07:47.240 Plenty of “foreign” automakers -- 00:07:47.240 --> 00:08:01.940 ♪ lively music ♪ 00:08:01.940 --> 00:08:04.000 Plenty of “foreign” automakers 00:08:04.009 --> 00:08:07.759 also use red turn signals on their cars for sale in the US market. 00:08:07.759 --> 00:08:12.009 It’s less common to see the shared turn signal and brake light, but it is surprisingly 00:08:12.009 --> 00:08:13.830 common in German makes. 00:08:13.830 --> 00:08:18.280 Oh, and even the Tesla Model S uses this obnoxious turn signal brake light combo 00:08:18.280 --> 00:08:20.580 for models sold domestically. 00:08:20.580 --> 00:08:23.180 Yes, I know that’s American but, eh… 00:08:23.180 --> 00:08:23.820 [sigh of frustration because this part of the script hadn’t been completely thought out] 00:08:23.820 --> 00:08:26.679 Now I get it, how often is this really an issue? 00:08:26.679 --> 00:08:29.280 We seem to be doing OK with cars like this. 00:08:29.280 --> 00:08:33.639 And a good, defensive driver will probably still treat a red light of any sort as cause 00:08:33.639 --> 00:08:36.750 to start slowing down--or at least cover the brake. 00:08:36.750 --> 00:08:41.389 But I’d love to see an entity like the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety starting to take 00:08:41.389 --> 00:08:43.769 this into account for their safety scores. 00:08:43.769 --> 00:08:48.699 I would imagine the IIHS has data on rear-end collisions per vehicle model, and I’d be 00:08:48.699 --> 00:08:53.850 curious to see if there’s a clear difference between red-only cars and red-plus-amber. 00:08:53.850 --> 00:08:58.139 But the point remains--in Europe at large, a red light on the back of a vehicle will 00:08:58.139 --> 00:08:59.460 always mean braking, 00:08:59.460 --> 00:09:03.480 and an amber light will always mean turning or a hazard condition. 00:09:03.480 --> 00:09:04.200 See red? 00:09:04.200 --> 00:09:05.080 Must be braking. 00:09:05.080 --> 00:09:05.860 See amber? 00:09:05.860 --> 00:09:06.780 Must be turning. 00:09:06.780 --> 00:09:08.460 But in the US, see red? 00:09:08.480 --> 00:09:09.480 Who knows!? 00:09:09.480 --> 00:09:11.660 You’ll have to stare at it for a moment to be sure. 00:09:11.660 --> 00:09:16.110 And while I’m griping--I know I’m such a downer--this 16 year old minivan has a feature 00:09:16.110 --> 00:09:19.140 that ought to be standard in every car sold today. 00:09:19.140 --> 00:09:21.269 Here’s the instrument cluster. 00:09:21.269 --> 00:09:24.300 Pretty basic by today’s standards, but it gets the job done. 00:09:24.300 --> 00:09:27.670 Now I’ve pulled one of the brake lights out so it isn’t working. 00:09:27.670 --> 00:09:30.320 Watch what happens as soon as I step on the brake-- 00:09:31.480 --> 00:09:33.040 a red light appears. 00:09:33.040 --> 00:09:34.120 What does it say? 00:09:34.120 --> 00:09:35.240 BRAKE LAMP. 00:09:35.240 --> 00:09:39.529 This 16 year old car is monitoring the current going through the brake light circuit, and 00:09:39.529 --> 00:09:42.779 when it gets too low, it illuminates a warning light on the dash. 00:09:42.779 --> 00:09:44.970 Why is this not just a universal thing? 00:09:44.970 --> 00:09:48.279 Another thing, can we make automatic headlights standard? 00:09:48.279 --> 00:09:52.540 This vehicle has a light sensor on the dashboard and when it gets dark outside the headlights 00:09:52.540 --> 00:09:54.220 come on by themselves. 00:09:54.220 --> 00:09:58.279 Even better, they’ll also come on if you turn on the windshield wipers during the day. 00:09:58.279 --> 00:10:03.161 I’ve seen more and more people lately driving around at night without their headlights on, and 00:10:03.161 --> 00:10:07.949 I think that’s because so many new cars have backlit screens for gauges, so the instrument 00:10:07.949 --> 00:10:09.740 cluster is always lit. 00:10:09.740 --> 00:10:13.440 In an older car like the Odyssey, it’s obvious that your headlights aren’t on because at 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:17.180 night you can’t see the gauges, but that’s largely not the case anymore. 00:10:17.180 --> 00:10:22.330 It’s apparently a little too easy to not notice that you haven’t turned on your headlights. 00:10:22.330 --> 00:10:26.080 And also, too many people see the light from their daytime running lights and assume that 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:32.420 their headlights are already on, not realizing that their tail lights aren’t lit for nighttime driving. 00:10:32.420 --> 00:10:35.670 So please, let’s get automatic headlights in more cars, OK? 00:10:35.670 --> 00:10:39.550 They’re almost all computer controlled via a relay anyway, so could you just stick an 00:10:39.550 --> 00:10:42.129 ambient light sensor on the dash and call it a day, thanks. 00:10:42.129 --> 00:10:46.740 Now as you may know if you follow this channel, in my family there are now both a Chevy Volt 00:10:46.740 --> 00:10:49.269 and a Chevy Bolt EV. 00:10:49.269 --> 00:10:53.199 And in the case of the Bolt, it has separate amber turn signals! 00:10:53.199 --> 00:10:54.199 How amazing! 00:10:54.199 --> 00:10:59.570 Now, I suspect the reason it does is that GM is marketing this car in Europe, and rather 00:10:59.570 --> 00:11:04.339 than create two separate tail light designs, they use the same European-compliant version 00:11:04.339 --> 00:11:05.690 for both markets. 00:11:05.690 --> 00:11:10.950 I think this probably also explains the Chevy Cruze hatchback’s use of amber turn signals. 00:11:10.950 --> 00:11:16.209 But this car demonstrates a humorous dedication to design in spite of regulations. 00:11:16.209 --> 00:11:21.040 See in the US, tail lights, turn signals, and headlights cannot be on any part of the 00:11:21.040 --> 00:11:22.209 vehicle that moves. 00:11:22.209 --> 00:11:28.329 So they can’t be on the hood or bonnet, the doors or the boot/trunk/hatch lid/whatever. 00:11:28.329 --> 00:11:30.730 On this car, they are on the hatch. 00:11:30.730 --> 00:11:35.620 To get around this, GM has installed a second set of redundant brake lights in the bumper 00:11:35.620 --> 00:11:38.920 which the vehicle will switch to as soon as the hatch is opened. 00:11:38.920 --> 00:11:39.740 Take a look. 00:11:42.880 --> 00:11:47.240 What this says to me is that the whole “one lamp for both the turn signal and the brake 00:11:47.240 --> 00:11:50.060 light” isn’t so much of a cost-saving measure. 00:11:50.069 --> 00:11:54.240 It’s just a design that people like and can get away with. 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:55.800 And I don’t think they should. 00:11:55.800 --> 00:12:00.070 Incidentally, I saw an Audi crossover on the road with tail lights like the Bolt, and one 00:12:00.070 --> 00:12:02.390 of the LED modules had failed. 00:12:02.390 --> 00:12:05.260 The computer had apparently detected this, so for this car, 00:12:05.260 --> 00:12:09.050 the left-hand bumper brake light was illuminating in its stead. 00:12:09.050 --> 00:12:12.730 It was rather an odd sight, but there was a working brake light on both sides. 00:12:12.730 --> 00:12:16.959 That’s a very clever and thoughtful use of redundancy there, Audi. 00:12:16.959 --> 00:12:18.019 Good job. 00:12:18.019 --> 00:12:21.230 But the fact that the LED failed is a little, um, worrisome. 00:12:21.230 --> 00:12:24.740 Anyway, that’s enough hammering on about automotive design for now. 00:12:24.740 --> 00:12:28.529 I admit--I like to look at the designs of tail lights and I think they are a huge part 00:12:28.529 --> 00:12:30.370 of the look to any vehicle. 00:12:30.370 --> 00:12:34.699 I always appreciate a cool-looking tail light, and I can understand the temptation to keep 00:12:34.699 --> 00:12:38.220 the design clean by eliminating the amber bulb. 00:12:38.220 --> 00:12:39.439 But please. 00:12:39.439 --> 00:12:41.279 Think of the children! 00:12:41.279 --> 00:12:44.660 Or at the very least, think of the various scenarios we’ve discussed in which having 00:12:44.660 --> 00:12:47.600 a separate amber turn signal is clearly advantageous 00:12:47.600 --> 00:12:51.699 and creates a safer, less ambiguous driving environment. 00:12:51.699 --> 00:12:54.139 Thanks for watching, I hope you enjoyed this video! 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:59.040 This is a little different from most of my videos, and I have Jared S --AKA Wookie Goldberg-- 00:12:59.040 --> 00:13:01.480 on Twitter for the inspiration to make this. 00:13:01.480 --> 00:13:05.690 I was beginning to worry that I was the only human who was remotely concerned about this 00:13:05.690 --> 00:13:09.230 stupid design, but it seems at least 12 others agree! 00:13:09.230 --> 00:13:11.420 So that’s good news, I guess. 00:13:11.420 --> 00:13:15.620 Anyway, as always, thanks to everyone who supports the channel on Patreon, especially 00:13:15.620 --> 00:13:18.180 the fine folks scrolling up the screen. 00:13:18.180 --> 00:13:21.480 This channel is made possible with the support of people like you, and if you’d like to 00:13:21.480 --> 00:13:26.260 join these amazing people and support the channel too, why not take a look at my Patreon page? 00:13:26.260 --> 00:13:29.320 Thanks for your consideration, and I’ll see you next time! 00:13:37.440 --> 00:13:38.060 Gah! 00:13:38.060 --> 00:13:38.740 Nature! 00:13:39.100 --> 00:13:40.540 That actually pricked me. 00:13:41.040 --> 00:13:41.720 Great going!