For Every Season, Turn, Turn, Turn

by  |  On July 29th, 2014  |  In Car Articles

Back at the beginning of the automotive age, the early 1900s, drivers signaled to pedestrians and other drivers their intention to turn (or stop) their cars with their hands. There were no formal turn signals back then. The first modern turn electric signal can be attributed to Edgar A. Walz, Jr. who, in 1925, secured a patent for one and tried to market it to major car manufacturers. Believe it or not they just weren’t interested, and the patent expired fourteen years later.

manInteresting, the turn signal situation in Europe started differently. The solution for signaling turns or lane changes was originally by hand signals, but later via “trafficators”. Trafficators were mechanical arms built into the sides of cars. They were powered by electro magnets that raised an arm indicating a turn was about to be made. Once these arms were in the “on” position, power went to a small electric bulb built into the arm. When they were “off”, the trafficators folded into the door pillar.

Back in the US it took a little longer. In 1939, Buick was the first U.S. automaker to offer factory-installed flashing turn signals. They were called “Flash-Way Directional Signals” and they 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 (1940) directional signals became standard on other GM vehicles also such as Cadillac, LaSalle and optional on Chevrolet, Oldsmobile, and Pontiac. For everyone else, you could add turn signals if you wanted. The Illinois-based Lester Company offered a Simplex Direction Signal Kit for ’42 to ’49 models, advertising that the signals available for $8.95 would work “like factory-installed models on expensive cars”.

The Sixties brought other innovations to turn signals. Initial plans called for Ford to install sequential rear turn signals on the 1964 Thunderbird but installation was put off a year while legislatures across the country considered whether to make them legal. 1968 marked another change: Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 required amber (rather than the earlier white) lens front turn signals; rear signals could be red or amber. Reliable light-emitting diode (LED) technology for signal lights was introduced in the 1980s. Such lights do not depend on lens color, they emit true red and amber hues. The sales guys at JTS Automotive Group explained that most of their Chrysler FIAT automobiles have some sort of LED illumination on board now and, frankly, it may not be long before filament bulbs have been phased out completely.

indicator

Though the basic turn signal technology hasn’t changed in years, future improvements may include increased strength and durability for parts that are consistently used and abused, an alert when the turn signal switches off even before we’ve started our turn, and customizable turn-signal tones.

Suhail is a journalist who loves everything about technology driven cars. He keeps a keen eye on the latest developments in automotive industry and shares the news as it breaks.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

© Copyrights 2009-2016 Today Auto News - All Rights Reserved

Theme by Templates Craze