GM's reverse light problem

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by mdm

I hate that in North America rear turn signals may be red and combined with brake lights.

And I hate the feature we are discussing here, it's a bad solution.

I am just saying that in reality it may not as big issue as some other things.

Ok, minor correction: First world problem.

I agree with all of your observations. Yet another misguided attempt at innovation for innovation's sake.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by radroach

@Cole no, it is because of my situational awareness that it causes me problems. I don't just walk blindly past cars with their reverse lights left on.

There's no defending it. It goes against safety standards and function that have been long established.

The ones functioning properly and only coming on when somebody hits the fob wouldn't be so bad since at least it is short and the people would show up quickly. The ones that are malfunctioning and stay on though would be a total pain in the ass. Like I have said it has never happened to me but if they came on and I saw somebody walking toward the car I would be fine with that. If they were just on and nobody was in sight I would indeed be pissed.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by radroach

@Cole no, it is because of my situational awareness that it causes me problems. I don't just walk blindly past cars with their reverse lights left on.

There's no defending it. It goes against safety standards and function that have been long established.

I'm sorry that a light makes you so horribly confused while you're driving. Are you also the person who has a panick attack when someone leaves their signal on? Or puts their 4 ways on while driving?

I'll break things down nice and easy for you:

Reverse lights with brake lights on- person is trying to back up.
Reverse lights with no brake lights, vehicle moving- person is backing up
Reverse lights with no brake lights, vehicle not moving- person is not backing up.

Shit, sometimes I wonder where critical thinking skills have gone, but then I remember that every one is coddled now and it's way easier to complain to the internet than to spend 10 seconds figuring out what someone is doing in a parking lot. At least I'm not the one looking like an idiot, and panicking over an empty vehicle in a parking lot

[radroach]

Cole, all you're doing is leading more evidence that GM's light configuration is confusing. There are plenty of salient examples I could provide that prove the reverse light thing is annoying.

With other cars, pedestrians don't have to do a logic check to know if the person is reversing beyond: Reverse lights on mean the person is reversing, that's all they should be for. These lights clearly signal to other drivers and pedestrians that the driver intends to reverse and that's how it's been for as long as I can fucking remember it. A simple glance at a car's rear should give me that information, I shouldn't have to go through additional logic steps to determine whether or not it is. Pedestrians already have to do plenty of logic checks just to cross a street or parking lot without being hit.

I like standards that work, go fuck yourself calling me an idiot over it. It's a big fucking deal, several threads just on BITOG about it. Everyone agrees its annoying, you're alone against the consensus.

[krayzie]

GM should make the blinkers light up instead, or maybe they don't know how to engineer them to stay on for less so they went with the reverse lights. Fucking cheap arses. They need to just stick with their true innovation the CEL.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Cole

Reverse lights with brake lights on- person is trying to back up.
Reverse lights with no brake lights, vehicle moving- person is backing up
Reverse lights with no brake lights, vehicle not moving- person is not backing up.

That only works if you assume the vehicle in question is an automatic.

[Cole]

Originally Posted by Ultramaroon

That only works if you assume the vehicle in question is an automatic.

Cmon now ultra, we're in North America.

[Ultramaroon]

Originally Posted by Cole

Cmon now ultra, we're in North America.

antimanualite

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by krayzie

GM should make the blinkers light up instead, or maybe they don't know how to engineer them to stay on for less so they went with the reverse lights. Fucking cheap arses. They need to just stick with their true innovation the CEL.

Are we all talking about the same thing here?
The reverse lights are engineered to come on for 30 seconds when the fob is activated. This gives people light to see when approaching their vehicle and is a cool idea that many cars actually have (all my Lancers and wife's Outlanders did this). It is not an inconvenience to anybody unless they feel that 5 seconds spent waiting to confirm that there is somebody approaching the car is too long. If anybody is confused by this very common safety feature they probably should not be driving.

The problem with the GM truck line is that they have a faulty relay that leaves these lights on for long periods at seemingly random times. This is not the design feature and needs to be fixed because now there are no people walking up to their car that need to see where they are going and the lights can stay on for a long time which could indeed confuse people.

The two circumstances are wildly different.

[mdm]

I disagree. The reverse light signals that the vehicle is, or is about to be operated in a very specific and unusual way. Among other things that the driver will have limited visibility and often divided attention, because they have to pay a lot of attention to what the front of their car is doing. It is likely to make other drivers stop to facilitate the maneuver, or of course to use the parking spot that is about to be freed. it is VERY likely that pedestrians will stop and wait, because they know that the driver may fail to see them and stop in time.

This light should not be used for anything else.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The reverse lights are engineered to come on for 30 seconds when the fob is activated [...] It is not an inconvenience to anybody unless they feel that 5 seconds spent waiting to confirm that there is somebody approaching the car is too long.

So 5 or 30?

Originally Posted by Tcoat

If anybody is confused by this very common safety feature they probably should not be driving.

I don't see any "safety" in this feature. I anybody cannot find their car in a parking lot without turning lights on it they probably should not be driving.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by mdm

I disagree. The reverse light signals that the vehicle is, or is about to be operated in a very specific and unusual way. Among other things that the driver will have limited visibility and often divided attention, because they have to pay a lot of attention to what the front of their car is doing. It is likely to make other drivers stop to facilitate the maneuver, or of course to use the parking spot that is about to be freed. it is VERY likely that pedestrians will stop and wait, because they know that the driver may fail to see them and stop in time.

This light should not be used for anything else.


So 5 or 30?


I don't see any "safety" in this feature. I anybody cannot find their car in a parking lot without turning lights on it they probably should not be driving.

Ok so you confuse easily if you see the lights and can't figure out if the vehicle is moving or not. The reverse lights are so the driver can see where he is going not an indicator signal. Probably no more hazardous than some goof driving around in an auto and using his left foot on the brake while still having his right on the gas.

The lights stay on 30. If it takes you more than 5 seconds to spot the people walking toward it you should get an eye exam.

Which causes more injuries in a year? People tripping and falling or cars getting hit in parking lots because people wanted the parking spot? Not everybody is parked in a well lighted area and being able to see where you are walking is rather important. The lights are on for 30 second or until the car is started it is not ruining people's lives if they got excited there was a parking spot opening up or stopped to wait and it took half a minute longer than they hoped. You may waste a good three or four total minutes of your life waiting while people walk to their car in safety. Boo hoo.

Geeez people you really are a fucking entitled group aren't you?

[mdm]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

The lights stay on 30. If it takes you more than 5 seconds to spot the people walking toward it you should get an eye exam.

Seriously. First, don't the reverse lights turn on also when people used the fob to close the car, after they walked away? Also, people walking "toward" the car may be actually walking to another car parked nearby. So, based on seeing some people around I decide that the reverse lights I see are for them to see their car, I proceed to drive or to walk, and I am hit by a carelessly reversing driver.

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Not everybody is parked in a well lighted area and being able to see where you are walking is rather important.

Yes, and these lights illuminate what 2, maybe 3 feet of the pavement next to the car. Will help a lot with walking 30 yards through a poorly lit parking lot.

[AdamIsAdam]

I have always taught my kids that backup lights mean a car is backing up. I want them to be careful while walking. And now my kids are learning to drive so they learned that backup lights mean a car is in reverse.

But noooooo. Now it doesn't mean that, or maybe it does. Sorta. Sometimes.

And if I'm driving down the street and I see backup lights on a car parked at the end of a short driveway (common around here) then I might stop to let him out or take other evasive action. I don't have 30 or even 5 seconds to figure this out based I brake lights that may or may not be on (car could be parked on an incline which throws off that theory).

It's bad and unsafe engineering. Period.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Are we all talking about the same thing here?
The reverse lights are engineered to come on for 30 seconds when the fob is activated. This gives people light to see when approaching their vehicle and is a cool idea that many cars actually have (all my Lancers and wife's Outlanders did this). It is not an inconvenience to anybody unless they feel that 5 seconds spent waiting to confirm that there is somebody approaching the car is too long. If anybody is confused by this very common safety feature they probably should not be driving.

European and Japanese cars don't use the reverse lights for this, they use the headlights in conjunction with the parking lights or puddle lights and only activates depending on the photosensor. This feature isn't new by any means, for example with VAG products this is called "Coming Home / Leaving Home". No confusion here unlike GM using the reverse lights as well.