Amber indicators are allowed but manufacturers prefer not to use them, to make the tail lights less cluttered. The problem with the new Mini lights is entirely BMW’s own fault.
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Maybe?
I feel like I understand the situation perfectly. So here’s what I’m picturing:
You’re an American driver, driving at night, passing a long line of parked cars on the curb to your right.
You see a single flashing light ahead of you. It’s the turn signal of a Mini, parked on the curb, waiting to pull out into traffic.
You can only see the single light, because there’s a car parked behind the Mini, so only the Mini’s left turn signal is visible, since the Mini wants to pull left, out of it’s parking slot.
So far so good?
But that single flashing light is an arrow, pointing right.
That’s where the confusion comes in.
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From Portugal to Russia you might encounter the identical situation. Except here the flashing light is amber and is only in the centre of the cluster.
Either BMW did not consider it would be a problem in North America or they weren’t bothered.
But you seemed to think that not seeing the right indicator in that scenario was somehow relevant. What difference would it make if you could see it? None.
(But, to be clear, I agree that it is a dumb design for the US market. Elsewhere? No - elsewhere that arrow is only ever a brake light.)
But they are only following (= exploiting) the regulations.
That is what regulations should be for - regulating things in such a way that dumb loopholes and dumb/rapacious/care-less corporations don’t collide to create this sort of problem. Though I guess it would be fair comment to say that a regulator might not have expected a car manufacturer to design such deliberately counter-intuitive indicators.
Having established that the idiocy exists, however, a nimble regulator would be able to amend things. In a civilised world a quiet word in BMW’s ear that some future models might face rather more … umm …shall we say ‘stringent’ review in some areas if these Mini lights don’t get voluntarily changed STAT, would do the trick. One assumes BMW would realise that pissing off a regulator is not a good idea.
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Yes I do think that not seeing the right hand light is part of the problem in this scenario. Correct.
Because seeing it would help the approaching driver understand what they are seeing. Oh, it’s a turn signal on a car.
Otherwise a floating single flashing arrow could be anything! A “work ahead” warning. A motorcycle turning right, instead of a car turning left. It’s mysterious and confusing because of the little arrow diagram built into it. Especially when that’s all the approaching driver can see.
Hah, it is my old Land Rover that doesn’t signal, because it… is an old Land Rover.
I’m using it this winter for the first time and thinking of getting one of those aircraft parking flashlights to augment hand-signaling. Maybe a flashing bike light on the back of my left hand.
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So, Southern hemisphere then.
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