On Fri, 22 May 2009 00:59:27 -0700, "Max Magister"
> wrote:

>>As it struggles to find its way through bankruptcy, Chrysler Corp. has
>>announced its most recent cut back. The automaker is eliminating turn
>>signals from its vehicles. In a written statement, a Chrysler spokesperson
>>said that with turn signal usage falling below 10 percent, slicing the cost
>>from each car (estimated at $22) would save the Fiat division over $44
>>million a production year (based on sales of over two million cars in 2007).
>>"Our studies of vehicle equipment usage found that sixty-five percent of
>>drivers were unaware that their cars actually had a turn signal device," the
>>press release revealed. "Of the thirty-five percent that were aware of the
>>devices, only half even knew how to use them." To counter safety advocates'
>>criticism of the equipment deletion, and bolster its case for a NHTSA
>>waiver, Chrysler released the results of a driver survey.
>>
>>
>>33% No free hand, one on the wheel other on cell phone
>>
>>28% I own the road, it's my way on the highway
>>
>>22% turn signals are so old school
>>
>>12% clicking sound is so annoying
>>
>>5% turned wipers on by mistake one too many times
>>
>>Professor James W. Faber of the Toronto Institute for Turn Signal Safety
>>confirmed the integrity of the survey results. He said Chrysler's actions
>>were not surprising; his own studies also showed little support in the
>>United States for the usage of turn signals.
>>
>> On January 7, 2008, we had our test driver cover a twenty-two-mile track
>>and count turns and lane changes for turn signal usage in West Palm Beach,
>>Florida. The results were as follows:
>>
>> Total lane changes/turns: 107 vehicles
>>
>> Turn signals utilized: 37 vehicles
>>
>> Turn signals ignored: 70 vehicles
>>
>> The usage rate of 35% was surprisingly high. In some northeastern cities,
>>we see rates of usage in the low 20 percent. In fact, the only areas where
>>usage exceeds fifty percent is in retirement communities. However, it
>>appears that some of the data may be skewed, as half of the vehicles
>>appeared to have their turn signals permanently flashing.
>>
>>Professor Patterson stated that the results for his own country were vastly
>>different than the states. In Canada, 103 percent of drivers used their turn
>>signals. He attributed to the statistically impossible result by claiming
>>that excessively polite Canadians signal even when they're not actually
>>driving.
>>
>>Chrysler advised that it was not totally abandoning the use of turn signals
>>in its vehicles. "We will provide each driver, upon written request, and
>>with a small shipping and handling fee, an instruction manual showing the
>>appropriate hand signals used for signaling turns and lane changes." The
>>spokesperson kindly added that for the first forty years of driving cars
>>didn't have flashing turn signals, and if it worked back then it should be
>>okay today.
>>
>>Chrysler is not the only manufacturing addressing the use (or lack thereof)
>>of turn signals in America. Volvo announced a prototype ESPS system. The
>>Swedish brand's extra sensory perception signal system reads a driver's mind
>>prior to each turn or lane change and automatically activates the signals
>>requiring no driver intervention.
>>
>>Volvo says the ESPS system was currently being tested. It should be
>>available for domestic use in 2012. They added that safety is neat and they
>>were glad to solve this difficult problem with technology.
>>
>>BMW has already addressed one of the annoying problems with conventional
>>turn signals. On most cars, the signal stalk is a physical move up for a
>>right signal and down for a left signal and stays in either position until
>>either a turn is completed or, in the case of a lane change, the driver
>>manually turns off the turn signal. This design aesthetic was not in keeping
>>with BMW's flame surface treatment introduced by head designer Chris Bangle.
>>
>>"Our signals are fixed oceans, only cresting for an instance to signal
>>intent, and then returning to their level nesting place adding beauty and
>>functionality to the over aesthetic while still maintaining the overall
>>starkness of the vehicles interior," Bangle said. He declined to comment on
>>whether this radical change to a sixty-year-old system would encourage less
>>use of turn signals, instead referring readers to BMW's legal disclaimer
>>page on their website.
>>
>>Will the turn signal go the way of the vinyl record, rotary dial phone and
>>pet rocks? Only time will tell. But from this writer's experience its use is
>>doomed to be one of the future lost arts. Will my son someday sit in a bar
>>and brag how his old man was a "turn signal user" or will he be vilified by
>>his peers for the cranky views of his safety obsessed father? We shall see.
>>
>>
Something smells fishy here. I wonder if this is a doctored up release. Here
in AZ it's the law and a fine is given if caught by a cop. I use mine even
in a private parking lot. It's a good thing to have anywhere if noted by the
police or witness's for your insurance company to get from you or your
lawyer. I think a lot of state may have similar laws. Same goes for seatbelts.

Doby