ok here is an easy one. beer is at stake so......what year did turn signals become factory standard or needed by law??? there are 30 very cold ones on the line thabnks
Stolen from some website I just found doing a Yahoo search. Buick was the first U.S. automaker to offer factory-installed flashing turn signals. Introduced in 1939 as a safety feature, the new-fangled feature was advertised as the "Flash-Way Directional Signal" operated from a switch on the new "Handi-shift" column-mounted shifter. The flashing signals only operated on the rear lights. In 1940 Buick enhanced the directional indicators by extending the signals to front lights and adding a self-canceling mechanism. That year directional signals became standard on Buick, Cadillac, LaSalle, and the Hudson Country Club vehicles and optional on Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac (for a cost of $7.95), Hudson (for $10), and Packard.
my 62 ford unibody truck didnt come with any. only has one tailight. the passenger side tailight has a block off plate behind the lense.
The law is state by state. Texas Subsection A (turn signals) does not apply to a passenger car or truck less than 80 inches wide manufactured or assembled before the model year 1960.
my 52 had them but another friends 52 same model didnt have them I had ele wipers and his had vac. I know by 55 everthing had blinkers. like 12 volt
My '41 Caddy had them as standard equipment. There is no one answer, you had two questions. As Larry T said, the law of requirement varies by state. In Kansas it was 1973. Did you win any beer?
I believe it was 1954 that they became standard equipment on all American cars....... I seem to recall that "fact" from years ago, but cannot at the moment think how I can prove it. Ray
From looking at this it looks like New York required turn signals on all four corners starting with 1953. http://www.dmv.ny.gov/forms/cr79.pdf Scroll down to page 41. I would imagine that 52 was the first year New York state required turn signals from reading that. Personally I'd have to think that even though the law doesn't didn't require them or two tail or brake lights on earlier models it would be wise and prudent to run them. The exception possibly being a fully restored to showroom stock early model that didn't offer a second tail light or stop light from the factory. That dumb shit on his cell phone behind you may have never seen someone actually use hand signals and go to pass you when you slow down to turn left. In this town sticking your hand out the window might get you shot by some banger who thought you were flipping him off.
In France, we had those called "fleches de direction" ( arrows ). I ve never seen any US car with it. Did this exist or was it Europe specific ?
Generally called semaphores in the US. Don't think they were used here, though I have seen them on VW's. Read somewhere that they were factory installed on model A's in Germany, I think. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Thanks Carter. Funny, semaphore is the same name as the mechanical signals used with trains years ago. I just remembered .
I think the shape of them was actually a scaled down version of the actual railroad signals. Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Quite off topic, but relative, in France rail road signal are lights, like on car roads ( not exactly the same ), but are still named "semaphores".
The non use of turn signals has become widespread. People who do use them often don't turn them on until after they start turning. In drivers ed we were taught that turn signals were used to warn the drivers behind you that you will be slowing to turn so the signal should be used well before hitting the brakes. I hear that NHTSA is considering requiring amber signals instead of red because studies show that they decrease rear end collisions. I don't see how it will help if nobody uses them correctly.
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