On and around the Road in Germany 2716

As soon as you convince more than a few Americans to use turn signals, this might matter.....but I doubt it. I wonder if there are any "good" studies on the effectiveness of multi-color rear lights. I really don't have a strong opinion either way. I have only had one vehicle with multi-colored rear lights and I don't recall feeling any different about it either way.

Personally, there are only a few of times when I really care if the other guy uses his turn signal,

1) When I am meeting the other driver at an intersection and we both plan to turn left 2) When the other driver is going to cut me off on a multi-lane highway - I'd al least like to be warned that I need to take evasive action 3) When someone wants to change lanes in a safe manner and wishes I would give them room (I almost always do if the car is up to speed and being operated in a courteous manner). I do sometimes get irritated at people who feel the need to wedge in between me and the car I am following, when there is literally no one behind be for hundreds of yards or more.

Turn signal usage in other situations is nice (and courteous, and a good idea, and the mark of a good driver, etc.), but probably doesn't affect what I am doing. I suppose if the car in front of me is going to turn, it might be nice to know which way, but the fact that the other car is slowing down is probably warning enough for me to be on the lookout for something. I suppose impatient people that pbutt cars without proper precautions might need the turn signals so they won't try to pbutt a car turning off the road, but I always buttume the car in front is going to turn if they slow down. And I'd much rather have no signal than miles and miles of a false signal. And I could care less what a car 1-2 mile ahead of me is going to do. I get irritated at drivers who use turn signals as an excuse for cutting you off (you know the drivers who trundle down the acceleration lane until it runs out and then flip on the signal at the last minute as they wedge in front of you, or the ones who zoom down the acceleration lane past openings in the traffic as they use the merge lane for a pbutting lane).

Ed