It's just a joke, Doby. I thought it was quite clever to come out with
something like this and make it sound just like so many of the other
statements that are pouring out of the PR departments at this time.

max

"Doby" > wrote in message
...
> 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