WAG - the first version is the international one with the standard electrical system, the later version revises this to fit with the preferences of the American market once the car has proven its appeal.
If somebody is moving out of your lane, then (in theory) they will not be slowing down in yours, and you should not be braking. If somebody is moving into your lane, then (in theory) the same applies, because they should be matching their speed to yours.
None of the seven Chrysler products owned by the tomndebb clan in the last couple of decades had red turn signals and the U.S. built Rabbit that preceded them also had amber signals–and none of them were built outside the U.S. (The two U.S. built Fords were all red, but it is not true that amber lights are a sign the car was built outside the U.S.)
I have not been paying any attention to GM products; they may, indeed, follow the Ford/red model.
ETA: Correction–the Dodge Ram 50 may have been built in Japan, not the U.S., but the rest were U.S. manufactured.
I agree that this is the most important signal, but over here we’re taught to anticipate road conditions a good way ahead. Driving by just paying attention to the idiot in front of you seems a trifle dangerous.
That was consistent with how I was taught in the U.S. I was told that I needed to be aware of at least the three cars ahead of me in my lane as well as activity in other lanes.
If everybody is doing so, even with the correct stopping distances between cars, a single car braking fairly hard will cause a cascade of increasingly-harsh braking, with associated risks, because all the reaction times of individual drivers are compounded. If half-a-mile of drivers notice and react to (or prepare to react to) the initial brake lights, no problem.
I believe that in this particular case you would be wrong. IIRC when Honda refreshed the Civic they went to clear turn signal covers with amber bulbs. Chalk one up to the Fast and the Furious having an effect on car design. :rolleyes:
I see it all the time over here, one guy not paying attention crashes into the car in front of him then gets hit by the next 6 cars because they dont get any warning and dont have enough time/space to avoid the problem.
the method we teach now (well my school does anyway) is that you should be looking 1/2 mile ahead on the freeway then at everything inbetween. that and keeping a 4 second following distance.
In the DC Metro area, most people use signals, but a significant number do not. The rates may be higher in the city proper, where people often mistake a yellow light for cross-traffic to be a green light for them. There was a thread on this board a few months ago including posts from a guy who explained why he thought using turn signals was a total waste of effort.
Interestingly, one reason often cited by people in this area for not using a signal for a lane change is that other drivers see the signal and then actually *close up space * so the signalling car cannot change lanes. I always use signals and have not experienced this so I wonder about the veracity of this claim.
This could turn into Car Wars pretty fast, but many drivers signalling for a lane change are not just announcing their intention, they are requesting cooperation. That is, there may not be quite enough space for them to move over safely and they want the car behind to allow a little extra. You are under no obligation to do so except that in most situations it is common courtesy, like holding a door open for the person behind you.
Not that it’s a good reason not to use turn signals, but I see this quite a bit. I drive a pickup truck. I see it less when I drive my wife’s MINI Cooper.
I was talking about a car slightly ahead of you (say, 1/2 to 1-1/2 car lengths ahead of you), in the next lane. If you see that car’s turn signal, it means the car is about to change lanes and enter your lane ahead of you. You need to slow down and make room for that car.
You’re already in that lane. Whoever else wants into that lane has to cede right of way to you (or in common parlance, you have right of way).
In SE Michigan, lots of people use their turn signals, but then again, lots don’t. It’s certainly noticeable that a whole lot of people won’t use their turn signals, but overall it’s hard to assign a specific ratio to this incidence. Turn signal use is noticeably greater in surface traffic, especially at turns, and it’s noticeably less when changing lanes, especially on the freeways. I’ll almost always be nice and try to let someone in front of me who is using a turn signal. I’ll also try to prevent non-using butt-holes from cutting in (only if it’s safe, though).
Oh, yeah, when you’re entering the freeway, you must also cede right of way if you can’t match the speed of traffic and find a hole. The mere fact of your entering the freeway doesn’t give you a God-given right to fsck’ing merge with no regard to our already being there. Use your turn signal; it indicates you’re aware of your responsibility. I find that non-signal using butt-whipes are the ones that seem to think they don’t need to be careful when getting onto the freeway.
Oh, yeah, boycott left-lane entrances and exits (yeah, I wish that were practical).
Most states are very deliberate about wording in terms of who *must yield * right of way rather than who *has * right of way. In an accident the person who was supposed to yield right of way may not be considered 100% at fault if the other person relentlessly continued without regard for safety and had the last clear chance to avoid the accident. If we are both stopped at a stop sign, and you are to my left (in the US), you are supposed to yield, but if you pull in front me it doesn’t give me carte blanche to get pissed off and broadside you.
