Turn Turn Turn

The monthly article this author produces usually focuses on computers, but this time I will be addressing the broader topic of technology. In the May issue of the Taberna Tribune, I said that a simple definition of technology was “the application of scientific knowledge for practical purposes”.

This month I would like to focus on an electro-mechanical technological device that was invented in its earliest form in the early 1900s, made generally available in the early 1950s, and became federally codified in its current general design in 1968. Yet this device is largely ignored by a significant portion of the population here in eastern NC. I am referring to the automotive turn signal.

Given the complexity of the modern automobile, you may not be aware of the turn signal. It is almost always employed as a stalk positioned on the left hand side of the steering column. When the stalk is depressed toward the floor, it transmits a signal to lamps at the front and back left corners of the car, causing them to flash repeatedly. This is meant to convey one’s intention to turn their vehicle left, generally within 300 feet of implementation. When the stalk is pushed upward toward the roof, lamps at the front and back right corners of the car signal intent to turn right. This is done to allow motorists in the surrounding area to plan their moves accordingly.

I can remember back when I was a very young lad, my father would employ hand signals to advise other drivers of his intention to turn or stop. A left arm extended straight out of the window signified a left turn; an elbow placed on the door frame with forearm raised straight up indicated a right turn; a forearm pointed toward the ground with the hand held flat indicated a stop. Hand signals are still used today when driving, though they tend to convey emotions rather than directional intention, often as a result of other drivers’ failure to use turn signals.

.Electro-mechanical turn signals became commonplace in cars in the 1950s, eliminating the need to extend one’s left arm out into the rain and snow, not to mention the path of oncoming vehicles. But in early implementation, one had to remember to turn off the turn signal indicator when the turn was completed. The next step forward was the development of self-canceling turn signals, meaning that after a certain degree of turn was completed, the stalk would return to its détente position and the flashing signal light would stop. While this has been around for decades, it is still not a foolproof cancellation system. Perhaps that is one reason why so many people choose not to use their turn signals. They don’t want to leave a turn signal light flashing for thirty miles while they sit in the left lane of the interstate doing 54 miles per hour, oblivious to the flashing dash light and signaling noise, leaving the people behind them to conclude they are stuck following a senile old coot or maid. Fortunately, some car manufacturers are implementing turn signal lights that flash three times then turn off automatically. They’re around. Watch for them.

Barring the development of some sort of brain-link technology, turn signals are only going to work when the driver consciously manipulates the stalk. With practice, this can be easily done using the left-most fingers of the left hand while holding the steering wheel with that same hand, leaving the right hand free to eat a sandwich, use one’s cell phone, modify one’s iPod playlist, or input navigation coordinates. It’s certainly easy to understand why the manual shifter has pretty much gone the way of rotary dial phones.

A high-tech option on some new cars is a lane departure warning system which alerts you if you drift across road surface markings, which might happen if you are drowsy or inattentive. However, the alerts only trigger when your turn signal isn’t on. One can only hope that as these systems grow more common in cars, they will provide increased incentive for use of turn signals to keep the car from alerting you as you drive over the lane lines.

Perhaps it is time to amend the song lyrics, borrowed from the Bible’s Book of Ecclesiastes (3:1-8), that the Byrds sang back in 1965:

There is a season, turn, turn, turn
And use your doggone signal indicator!