Amber rear turn signals?

[NigelM]

All of which adds up to me feeling like an idiot when I realize I've been driving for who-knows-how-long with my turn signals blinking.

Alzheimer's?

 

[MikeK]

I absolutely prefer amber signals. It's hard for me to believe that Tesla added the strange curlicue in the tail light (compared to the sleeker-looking design prototype) and didn't put amber in there. Is that really true?

 

[skwasha]

Has there been any update re: how the EU version will be outfitted to handle the rear amber requirement? In other words, will I be able to buy replacements for a US model?

 

[widodh]

Has there been any update re: how the EU version will be outfitted to handle the rear amber requirement? In other words, will I be able to buy replacements for a US model?

We haven't seen any update on this.

I was told that the first EU test-drives would be somewhere very late 2012 or in the beginning of 2013.

 

[mknox]

I absolutely prefer amber signals. It's hard for me to believe that Tesla added the strange curlicue in the tail light (compared to the sleeker-looking design prototype) and didn't put amber in there. Is that really true?

Personally, I hate amber rear turn signals, hate following cars that have them and avoid buying cars with them. Amber is for front signal lights, red is for the rear. (I also hate those stupid rear fog lights that people insist on using in clear weather making it look like they're riding the brakes).

 

[Laurent]

I hate amber rear turn signals, hate following cars that have them and avoid buying cars with them.

Like it or not, amber rear turn signals are safer because they're not easily confused with brake signals. Statistically, cars with red turn signals are more likely to be rear-ended and cause an accident. I'm still buying a Tesla despite this but I would have preferred amber turn signals.

 

[ElSupreme]

(I also hate those stupid rear fog lights that people insist on using in clear weather making it look like they're riding the brakes).

Got to have amber turn signals. Spent a weekend and $500 doing that on my GTI.

I have a rear fog lamp. Actually installed it myself (when I changed my red turn signals to amber :smile. I use it to 'flash' people behind me (for various reasons friendly and not), when road spray on the interstate makes it hard to see the car in front of me, and of course heavy fog. But I hate that people put them on during the clear. Regular front fog lamps are bad enough when it is clear outside.

 

[Lloyd]

Mods, How about a Wiki List that people can add their name to a group purchase of 'euro style' amber tail lights? I'm not sure how to add that feature.

Please put my name on the list!

 

[ggr]

Mods, How about a Wiki List that people can add their name to a group purchase of 'euro style' amber tail lights? I'm not sure how to add that feature.

Please put my name on the list!

... and mine.

 

[Doug_G]

I'd love to have amber.

 

[jerry33]

Amber for me as well.

 

[MikeK]

And me.

 

[doug]

Mods, How about a Wiki List that people can add their name to a group purchase of 'euro style' amber tail lights? I'm not sure how to add that feature.

Please put my name on the list!

Actually, as much as I tire of them, that's the sort of thing you use for a public poll. I've added one to this thread.

Personally, I hate amber rear turn signals...

"Tell them I hate them!"

 

[mknox]

Like it or not, amber rear turn signals are safer because they're not easily confused with brake signals. Statistically, cars with red turn signals are more likely to be rear-ended and cause an accident. I'm still buying a Tesla despite this but I would have preferred amber turn signals.

I'd actually like to see those statistics, because I don't see how turn signals can prevent rear-ending. Statistics did show that the 3rd brake light (CHMSL) does prevent rear-end collisions. It seems to me it's more about the effectiveness of Brake Lights than Turn Signals that would prevent rear-end collisions.

 

[Lloyd]

Here it is!!

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811115.PDF

 

[Robert.Boston]

Summary of the summary:

As per the ability to prevent involvement in crashes with assumed turn signal engagement, amber turn signals proved significantly more effective at each stage, compared to red turn signals. The single best point estimate of the effectiveness is 5.3 percent .... The result is significantly different from zero (χ2 = 5.17, with 1 df, p < 0.02), with a 95-percent onesided confidence interval indicating the effectiveness is at least 1.5 percent. ... The magnitude of the estimate (5.3%) is similar to the long-term magnitude of the [center high mounted stop lamps] effectiveness (4.3%)

 

[olanmills]

Even though I appreciate their practicality, I don't like the way amber rear turn signals look at all. It's cleaner with just red (and white).

 

[mknox]

Here it is!!

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811115.PDF

Indeed, but I'm still having trouble believing it. I get it completely about the CHMSL, and the need for good BRAKE lights, but I can't see how turn signals prevent rear-end collisions. A lot of turning-related collisions happen at intersections when someone turns in front of another car... but's that's usually about the driver doing the turning and the Front turn signals.

In any event, I don't like them, but can accept that I'm in the minority Thanks for the DOT link.

 

[olanmills]

The situation I can think of is that some one is changing lanes in front of you, but you don't realize it. They turn on the correct blinker, which happens to be red in the rear. You only see the corner of their car due to other cars blocking full view of the rear of the car in question, and instead of realizing that they are signalling that they want to move into your lane ahead of you, you think that they are just tapping their brakes. So you go ahead not realizing this, and they pull out of their lane in front of you, and you rear-end them or perhaps hit the corner of the rear of their car at an off-angle.

In this case, I would still think that the blame goes to the car ahead of you, as, regardless of whether they used their blinker or not, they have to make sure it's safe to change lanes. That said, if they had an amber blinker in the rear, you would have known for sure that they intended to enter your lane ahead of you, so you might have either slowed down to give them room, or at least have been more cautious and ready for them to pull into your lane, and thus avoid the accident.

So that's at least one situation I can think of where the difference between a red and amber rear blinker could contribute to a rear-end collision.

That said, I still don't like rear amber turn signals!

 

[spatterso911]

I'd go for amber tail blinkers too