Every part of an automobile serves a purpose. Engineers and designers aren't sitting around for months -- years even -- at a time discussing the ins and outs of a vehicular design if those ins and outs are only going to be a useless accessory in the end. Of course, some bits and pieces are more important than others; take the steering wheel versus the trunk cover on an SUV, for example. However, as a whole, the pieces that make up a car are all largely important to the vehicle and integral to driving it.
The lights on a vehicle are no exception.
This is something I think drivers today take for granted. We are so used to headlights and taillights that we forget how important they really are, and even how much they can reveal about our vehicles and us as drivers.
You might find this surprising. Turning on the headlights, learning to use the turn signal and knowing where the hazard button is in the vehicle are all beginner steps when we're first learning how to drive. In fact, I distinctly remember sitting in my vehicle during my driver's exam and being asked to turn my lights on and off, as well as my turn signals and my hazard lights. Just to prove I knew where they all were; I passed with flying colours.
While I'm not denying we all know we have these nifty little lights on our vehicles, what I am denying is that we have the knowledge of how to use them.
It seems we've fallen a bit out of touch with common rules and regulations behind the wheel when it comes to the lights on our vehicles. From high-beams left on all the time to misunderstandings of hazard usage, and a serious lack of turn signals, it's all a bit ridiculous, really. After all, it's nothing more than the turn of a knob, the click of a button. Do that, and your message is clear. Or at least, it should be.
On four separate occasions I've been honked at for being pulled over with my hazards on and not moving. Clearly, there's a problem with my car (or I want to be stopped), so go around me.
In one instance, I was on a completely flat tire with a bent rim and happened to be stopped 20ft back from a light in the turning lane. Cars began to line up behind me to turn, despite me having my hazards on and the car being off. At least 5-6 cars honked as they drove by (after lining up behind me and realizing I was sedentary) and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in their behaviour.
I didn't care that I was disrupting traffic, I had no choice with a flat, what I cared about was their lack of knowledge in my situation. Hazards are designed to alert other drivers on the road of a danger. Hence the name; hazards. Every car has them, and for good reason. So, pay attention.
It's as if we all need to head back to driver's ed to once again learn the ropes of why our vehicles have the bits and pieces they do. That big red triangle isn't just for a fancy light show, it serves a purpose. So does your turn signal and your high-beam knob – take a moment next time before you leave your driveway to familiarize yourself with them and remember what they mean when someone else on the road uses them too.
The lights on a vehicle are no exception.
This is something I think drivers today take for granted. We are so used to headlights and taillights that we forget how important they really are, and even how much they can reveal about our vehicles and us as drivers.
You might find this surprising. Turning on the headlights, learning to use the turn signal and knowing where the hazard button is in the vehicle are all beginner steps when we're first learning how to drive. In fact, I distinctly remember sitting in my vehicle during my driver's exam and being asked to turn my lights on and off, as well as my turn signals and my hazard lights. Just to prove I knew where they all were; I passed with flying colours.
While I'm not denying we all know we have these nifty little lights on our vehicles, what I am denying is that we have the knowledge of how to use them.
It seems we've fallen a bit out of touch with common rules and regulations behind the wheel when it comes to the lights on our vehicles. From high-beams left on all the time to misunderstandings of hazard usage, and a serious lack of turn signals, it's all a bit ridiculous, really. After all, it's nothing more than the turn of a knob, the click of a button. Do that, and your message is clear. Or at least, it should be.
On four separate occasions I've been honked at for being pulled over with my hazards on and not moving. Clearly, there's a problem with my car (or I want to be stopped), so go around me.
In one instance, I was on a completely flat tire with a bent rim and happened to be stopped 20ft back from a light in the turning lane. Cars began to line up behind me to turn, despite me having my hazards on and the car being off. At least 5-6 cars honked as they drove by (after lining up behind me and realizing I was sedentary) and I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed in their behaviour.
I didn't care that I was disrupting traffic, I had no choice with a flat, what I cared about was their lack of knowledge in my situation. Hazards are designed to alert other drivers on the road of a danger. Hence the name; hazards. Every car has them, and for good reason. So, pay attention.
It's as if we all need to head back to driver's ed to once again learn the ropes of why our vehicles have the bits and pieces they do. That big red triangle isn't just for a fancy light show, it serves a purpose. So does your turn signal and your high-beam knob – take a moment next time before you leave your driveway to familiarize yourself with them and remember what they mean when someone else on the road uses them too.