Opinion 39
What Is a Turn Signal? By William Urbanski
Nearly one hundred years after its inception, the blinking automobile turn signal has, incredibly, not fully caught on in Gwangju.
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HOW TO OPERATE THE TURN SIGNAL ON YOUR CAR In the vast majority of vehicles, the device that controls the left and right turn signals is located behind the steering wheel and to the left. It resembles a thin, plastic stick. To activate the right turn signal (which indicates that your vehicle will be turning right), a driver must gently push the stick up. It will click into place and most likely (but not always!) a little light on the dashboard will start flashing. Do not be alarmed! This simply means the turn signal is working. But what
March 2022
The other important time for a turn signal to be activated is when a driver wishes to make a left or right turn at an intersection (the place where two roads
A BRIEF HISTORY OF TURN SIGNALS To further understand the importance of using an automobile’s turn signals, it is instructive to look back into history. Early motorists indicated to other drivers which way they would turn by using arm signals similar to the ones still used by bicycle riders.1 Naturally this was not much fun when it was raining or snowing. Around the year 1920, the “trafficator” was invented, which was a mechanical arm that swung out on either side of the vehicle. Trafficators were seen as an unnecessary luxury by many and not adopted universally. In addition, they were fragile and often got stuck.2 The first blinking turn signals were patented in the 1930s, and by the 1950s, they were widely available on most vehicles, although as options. It was not until 1965 that in America turn signals became mandatory for all cars. Now mandated by virtually all countries, failure to use the turn signal is punishable by fines in addition to being just kind of a jerk thing to do.
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In a nutshell, the best way to understand the purpose of a turn signal is by looking at a road, which, as you may or may not have noticed, has lines that are either yellow or white. A common misconception is that these are purely for decoration or aesthetic purposes, but they are, in fact, meant to help drivers safely navigate the roadways. The idea is that when the car is in motion, the driver should try to keep it in between the lines on the road. The area between these lines is called a “lane.” A road can have one, two, or many lanes – I have even seen roads with as many as five lanes! Occasionally, a driver must change between lanes. The myriad reasons for this are unimportant at the present time, but what is very important to understand is that this act of changing lanes presents a challenge from a safety point of view, especially when there are other cars also on the road. In order to “signal” and warn other drivers that an automobile will be moving into a different lane, a driver is supposed to activate blinking lights on the front and back of the vehicle. This system of blinking lights which, unbeknownst to many, all cars are equipped with, is what is colloquially known as a “turn signal.” If the lights on the left of the vehicle are activated, that means the car will move to the left. If the lights on the right side of the vehicle are activated, that means the car will move to the right.
“intersect” at ninety degrees). Many people seem to believe that it is not necessary to use a turn signal at an intersection, but this is simply not the case.
COMMUNITY
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ll over the world, but notably in Jeollanam-do and Gwangju, there seems to be considerable and ongoing confusion about what a turn signal is and how it is to be used.
2022-02-23 �� 12:29:20
