Are white front turn signals illegal in Nova Scotia?
Mike M.
red, and blue are illegal.
Thanks.
- Mike
ZOLOFT
Here is an excerpt directly from the Motor Vehicle Act. I think it
answers your question.
(3) All motor vehicles required to be registered under this Act except
farm tractors shall be equipped with electric turn signals which shall
indicate an intention to turn by flashing lights showing to the front
and rear of a vehicle, or on a combination of vehicles, on the side of
the vehicle or combination toward which the turn is to be made.
(4) The lamps showing to the front shall be mounted on the same level
and as widely spaced laterally as practicable and, when signalling,
shall emit white or amber light, or any shade of light between white and
amber.
(5) The lamps showing to the rear shall be mounted on the same level and
as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and, when signalling, shall
emit a red or amber light, or any shade of colour between red and amber.
The entire act is here:
http://www.gov.ns.ca/legi/legc/statutes/motorv.htm
Bill.
Knotshore
wmd
> (5) The lamps showing to the rear shall be mounted on the same level and
> as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and, when signalling, shall
> emit a red or amber light, or any shade of colour between red and amber.
I was wondering about this. One of my "peeves" is red rear turn signals
- I think they should be outlawed. It just seems obvious to me that they
should be amber - it isn't logical to make the turn signal the same
colour as the brake light!
Stupid thing, I know. It's just one of those things I think is a silly
idea that someone came up with, likely to save money by only having one
colour plastic on the tail light of a car!
Not that many people use turn signals anyway, but it's the principle of
the matter! ;)
wmd
Stephen & Darlene
the brake. I've been confused before with a drivers intention whether he was
going left or right as he was pumping his brakes while his signal light was
on giving left - right flash sequence.
But I didn't know about white being legal.... I had a mechanic replace my
front signal lights with amber because he told white was illegal, but I also
had white lens, so maybe that makes the difference whether a white or amber
bulb can be used.
Steve
"wmd" <wmd...@NOSPAMyahoo.ca> wrote in message
news:40B682CC...@NOSPAMyahoo.ca...
Bob
>
> "wmd" <wmd...@NOSPAMyahoo.ca> wrote in message
> news:40B682CC...@NOSPAMyahoo.ca...
> >
> > > (5) The lamps showing to the rear shall be mounted on the same level and
> > > as widely spaced laterally as practicable, and, when signalling, shall
> > > emit a red or amber light, or any shade of colour between red and amber.
> >
> > I was wondering about this. One of my "peeves" is red rear turn signals
> > - I think they should be outlawed. It just seems obvious to me that they
> > should be amber - it isn't logical to make the turn signal the same
> > colour as the brake light!
> >
> > Stupid thing, I know. It's just one of those things I think is a silly
> > idea that someone came up with, likely to save money by only having one
> > colour plastic on the tail light of a car!
>
> motoring terms. Some of the old tradition remains today, not that I agree
> with it though.
> >
> > Not that many people use turn signals anyway, but it's the principle of
> > the matter! ;)
> >
> > wmd
> >
wrote to Transport Canada about them in 1999. Here is their reply.
Dear Sir.
As promised in an earlier e-mail, I am forwarding the reply to your
question
which was received today from our regulations section:
Under the Motor Vehicle Safety Act, Transport Canada develops and
enforces
the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (CMVSS). Canadian vehicle
manufacturers and importers must certify that all new vehicles offered
for
sale in Canada comply with all applicable CMVSS in effect on their date
of
manufacture.
CMVSS 108 "Lighting Equipment" sets minimum performance requirements for
exterior lamps used on all new road vehicles. Rear turn signals are
required to be red or yellow, and front turn signals must be yellow.
United States' regulations for turn signal colour are identical to CMVSS
108, while, as pointed out, European and Asian countries require yellow
rear turn signals. Despite the apparent believe by Europeans and
Asians,
that yellow rear turn signal lamps are beneficial for safety, in many
cases when European or Asian cars are sent to North America they are
equipped with red rear turn signals.
Transport Canada research has shown that drivers respond slightly faster
to turn signals (either red or yellow) which are separate from the brake
lights than to combined signals. Various other studies have generally
concluded that drivers respond more quickly (typically assessed by
measuring the time required to apply the brakes) to rear signal
functions,
and identify them more accurately, if they differ in colour or are
provided by separate lamps, as compared to one lamp providing multiple
functions.
In the interests of safety and international harmonization, the
Department
therefore issued a proposal in 1975 that rear turn signals be yellow.
However, North American vehicle manufacturers expressed considerable
opposition, principally on the grounds of styling freedom and added
cost.
The need for more complicated lenses and a turn signal that is separate
from the tail and stop lamps makes a rear lighting system with yellow
turn
signals more complex and costly than one where a single bulb and lens is
used to provide the turn signal, brake signal and tail lamp functions.
Treasury Board procedures require that the costs and benefits of federal
regulations be analyzed to ensure that government intervention is
justified. Experimental research alone is insufficient to support a
requirement for a standardized rear turn signal colour. Such a change
should also be shown to be effective in reducing the risk of rear-end
collision. Therefore, the Department conducted a study in 1979 of
insurance company vehicle collision records. The analysis was based on
pairs of vehicle models that were almost identical apart from rear turn
signal colour. The involvement rates of the two sets of cars in
collisions in which those cars were struck in the rear while turning at
intersections were compared. The results indicated that there were no
systematic or statistically significant differences in collision rate
between any of the pairs of yellow and red rear turn signal-equipped
vehicles. As a result, the Department withdrew the yellow rear turn
signal proposal.
It should be pointed out that the Department has modified its vehicle
lighting requirements to reduce the risk of rear end collisions and that
the action is justified by vehicle collision data. The Motor Vehicle
Safety Regulations were amended in 1986 to require center high-mounted
stop lamps (CHMSL) on all new passenger cars. The regulation was based
on
several vehicle collision studies carried out on fleets of vehicles in
the
early 80's in the United States that indicated that the addition of the
CHMSL to the regular stop lamps reduced rear-end collisions. A
Transport
Canada analysis of the regulation completed in 1993 concluded that
CHMSL-equipped passenger cars are about 15 percent less likely to be
struck in rear-end collisions than are non-CHMSL-equipped cars. Because
of this positive experience, in 1996 the CHMSL requirement was extended
to
light trucks and vans.
The Department is continually reviewing all available safety measures.
Please be assured that we share your goal of improving road safety.
When
objective evidence is available that supports improved rear lighting
systems or any other safety measure, we will not hesitate to propose
appropriate regulations.
Thank you for your interest in road safety.
Gabrielle Goulding
Information Agent/Agent d'information
Transport(s) Canada
Road Safety/Sécurité routière
e-mail/courrier électronique: gou...@tc.gc.ca
1-800-333-0371
They don't agree with us!
Bill 2
"Basilic" <Bas...@no.thanks> wrote in message news:40b7a0c1$1_3@aeinews....> Of course not. The article itself states "However, North American vehicle
> manufacturers expressed considerable
> opposition, principally on the grounds of styling freedom and added cost."
> process, it's not that much more expensive, a couple of dollars more for
> extra wiring. Notice it's only the NA manufacturers that don't have the
> yellow turn signals
GM has a fair bit of rear yellow turn signals as compared to the other
domestics.
Current Honda Civic has red turn signals, as does Nissan Sentra, among
others.
I think it is stupid though to put "Styling freedom" and "cost" over safety.
Especially because these manufactures sell car, some of which are the same
models, in other countries equipped with amber lights, so it might even be
cheaper than trying to maintain two separate lighting systems.
Bill 2
"Stephen & Darlene" <dad_is...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:yZItc.49104$Np3.2...@ursa-nb00s0.nbnet.nb.ca...
> I kind of have to agree, the signal lights should be a different color
than
> the brake. I've been confused before with a drivers intention whether he
was
> going left or right as he was pumping his brakes while his signal light
was
> on giving left - right flash sequence.
>
> But I didn't know about white being legal.... I had a mechanic replace my
> front signal lights with amber because he told white was illegal, but I
also
> had white lens, so maybe that makes the difference whether a white or
amber
> bulb can be used.
> Steve
White might be legal, but amber is safer because it creates a
differentiation in colour. He may have just told you "illegal" to get you
off his back.
One thing that causes the problem is some designs rely on the bulb coating
to produce the amber colour. In my cars this is the case. The front signal
lights use the exact same bulb as the rear tail lights except they have an
amber coating and cost a couple dollars more, so people trying to be cheap
replace them with the cheaper clear bulbs. If the lens was amber than it
wouldn't matter because you just need clear bulbs.