Okay, at first this idea sounded pretty cool. Then I realized exactly how bad it would be as people fumbled to make their car express just the right emotion in traffic.
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I am dismayed that they now have a patent for this. How is this an invention? It seems to me that our patent system is seriously broken if you can get a patent for this.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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Bob, I always wanted to have one of those blinking displays running along the back or front of my car window so I could type in little messages to other drivers, like:
"Move over, slowpoke, I'm late!"
or
"Thanks for slowing down once you got into the fast lane, you freakin' loser!"
But, somehow, I don't think the President of World Traffic Safety would approve of my plan.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Elizabeth, Your post reminds me of a comic bit by (I think) George Carlin. He talked about having one of those plunger type guns that you shoot and the bullet/plunger sticks to whatever you shot. He wanted to have plunger/bullets with flags that read; *sshole, jerk, bad driver, b*stard... and when anyone cut you off or didn't signal you could shoot them. His reasoning was that then police could pull over anyone that had more than 3 or 4 of these adhered to their trunk and issue them a ticket for being an *sshole.
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I've had an idea similar to yours, Elizabeth, for some time now. Glad to see that someone else thinks like I do. My other car-related invention was an addition to the power steering logic: if someone leaves their blinkers on for more than 2 minutes, the car will suddenly attempt as sharp a turn as it can manage at whatever speed it's currently at in the same direction of the blinker.
I think that would make for some excellent belly-laughs while on the highway.
Posts: 753 | Registered: Mar 2001
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Oddly, Yamaha has had "self-cancelling" turn signals on it's motor cycles for over 20 years. I don't know why they can't do that on cars.
Seems like a simple thing. The turn signals stay on if the car is stopped (i.e., you're at a signal waiting to turn) but if the car is moving, the signals turn off after 10 seconds.
At least it should be an option, although we should consider making it mandatory on all Ford Crown Victorias and the larger models of Cadillacs. And those crazy bus-like motor homes.
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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My turn signals used to go off after I turned, but they would sometimes quit while I was sitting at an intersection because I hadn't stopped exactly straight (you know, made one of those little "partial" turns to make it simpler to go in the right direction). So I would hold the turn signal down to keep it blinking, and eventually it broke.
Then I suddenly realized that it was still blinking after I had turned and had been going straight for quite a while.
Posts: 1114 | Registered: Mar 2004
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Am I the first one to think such a system already exists? I always found a particular finger or an open-handed wave was all the expression I need on the roads.
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No. You have an expression of anger and one of grattitude. What about "Sorry, my fault, didn't see you there, yes, I am an idiot"?
Posts: 13680 | Registered: Mar 2002
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quote: Am I the first one to think such a system already exists? I always found a particular finger or an open-handed wave was all the expression I need on the roads.
Hmm..I'm going to have to question your driver worthiness here in Phoenix if you leave out the horn. People here like to use their horns to communicate all sorts of neat stuff like "hey, the sun is out!", "oh look, a snow bird!", or finally "I'm on my cell phone - look at me!".
Posts: 851 | Registered: Oct 2001
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After I saw this article last week I made plans to write about it for next week's column. I'll be writing about current signaling methods - the single flash of the headlights that can mean "slow down, cops ahead" or "get out of my way" or "I thought this was the turn signal" - and problems with the suggested emoting system. If you read the article you see that the car will respond to conditions by itself. What if it develops emotional problems? If you wreck a few times, will your car exhibit an irrational fear of other cars? Will it have different personalities if different members of the family are driving?
These aren't criticisms, by the way. I think they'll make the driving experience a lot more interesting...
Posts: 7790 | Registered: Aug 2000
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"If you wreck a few times, will your car exhibit an irrational fear of other cars?"
Not to worry. An auto mechanic will just prescribe some Carzac, and everything will run smoothly again.
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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quote: the single flash of the headlights that can mean "slow down, cops ahead"
Chris -- you've obviously never been a truck driver (semi). I have.
They are the ones the originally came up with all the light signals. And you are wrong -- it is properly TWO flashes if you are wanting to indicate police (or speed trap) ahead.
Here is how it was when I drove a semi:
1 headlight flash -- used to tell other truckers, after they passed you, that they are clear to move back over (have driven enough beyond you to do so). They usually reciprocate by flashing tail lights back at you after re-entering the lane, to indicate "thank you".
2 flashs -- police/speed trap or some other such thing ahead.
3 flashs -- danger ahead -- could be something in the roadway, and accident, a big dead deer in your lane -- anything that is a hazard. It's a warning to slow down.
It has been 20 years since I drove a semi, though, so I don't know if the code has changed.
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Farmgirl, Chris is not necessarily wrong, except maybe for the truckers in the world. When I flash my lights once, people know there is a cop OR danger ahead. It just generally means to slow down and look out. I think it is pretty universal, whether truckers made it up or not. Liz
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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Bob, as President of Traffic Safety and all, does this concern you?
Wouldn't having cars on the road that displayed emotions lure driver's attention away from the road and other cars?
Posts: 4625 | Registered: Jul 2002
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The one that really tested my self control the other day was this old jerk who got mad at me because I didn't give him the room he wanted to turn. He was on a side street, I was lined up at a stoplight, and there isn't a "keep intersection clear" sign at that sidestreet. If there was the main road would back up too badly. So he pulls out two cars behind me, and then rolls up next to me and the blue haired little old lady that was his passenger, rolled down her window to chew me out. I left my window up, stared straight ahead and tried not to laugh uncontrollably. It isn't my fault her husband can't drive!
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For future reference, it is the generally agreed upon driving etiquette that if the traffic stops on ones road, and the line of stopped cars extend past a side road(s), one keeps ones car out of the intersection. If you check your particular state's driving regulations, it is usually also the law; irrespective of whether the intersection has a "Keep Clear" sign.
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aspectre, sorry I didn't make it clearer, I went back and read what I posted and it didn't come out right at all.
I wasn't actually blocking the intersection. I simply pulled into the car space in front of me where I had the right-of-way It just happend, that the old guy wanted to turn right and end up in that space.
It was a right turn lane, so everyone was rolling forward slowly, as was I. Slightly different than pure blocking of the side street, though I double checked about the sign on my way home the next day out of curiousit. Generally speaking if that light does cause me to come to a complete stop I make sure I leave the side street clear.
AJ
(And Chicago drivers don't believe in ettiquete... California drivers are pretty bad too, if you aren't aggressive you wouldn't ever get anywhere)
I have no idea why you'd want to be able to display your thoughts on your car. The only thing that keeps me from getting shot in traffic is the fact that most people on the road have no clue that I think they're jerks.
Posts: 6367 | Registered: Aug 2003
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I think both of my 14 year old mini vans express pretty well my lack of self esteem or any confidence that things are going to get better. We should just name them Stephen Wright and Charles Grodin.
Posts: 11017 | Registered: Apr 2003
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I used to have an extremely spunky festiva...since it died every car I end up with has been a white 4 door with maroon interior. usually because it was what I could afford.
But that festiva man = ) Robins egg Blue...I would always sing the speed racer tune substituting festiva as I was zipping down the highways or back roads or two tracks Posts: 143 | Registered: Sep 2003
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quote:3 flashs -- danger ahead -- could be something in the roadway, and accident, a big dead deer in your lane -- anything that is a hazard. It's a warning to slow down.
Would this work for a family of live deer on or by the road? There's been an unusually large amount of them hanging out by the roads this year. Protesting deforestation, you think?
Posts: 407 | Registered: Jul 2003
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That is wicked awesome. I had that same idea about a marquee for cars, but I threw it out on account of it would probably produce a lot more road rage. I don't really want to know what the person behind me thinks about me, thank you very much... It would be useful in some instances, but probably more trouble than it's worth.
I do like the idea of emoting cars. I think it would be useful. However, I do believe that cars have a language of their own, as evidenced by this livejournal post that I made a while ago. Posts: 4816 | Registered: Apr 2003
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