The days before stop lights & indicators!

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Oh yes Axle, I remember them, but had almost forgotten.

Those mechanical things on trucks were innovative but amazingly clumsy.
And a cop on 'point duty' was at risk of a slap in the face from a right-turning truck. lol

And who could forget the "Lucas trafficators". Little illuminated arms that swung out of the 'B' pillar, usually only halfway out then remained there even after "cancelling". Only the Prince of Darkness could have given the world those beauties.

Axle, some of our readers will not have a clue of what we are talking about.

Don't have to worry about losing limbs living in South Australia .... cuz no bugga indicates here Ol mate ...LOL

Remember the silent cop in the middle of the intersection ? Had to go around it to do a right turn.
I saw one in a town a few years ago somewhere and thought it good it was kept for historical reasons.
Graham.

This reminds me of when I did my motorcycle license test in rural SA . My bike didn’t have indicators, so I was putting my hand out to indicate turning. The copper who was following me around town , said to me That I passed the test , but to only indicate coming up to the corners , and then put both hands back on the handlebars to take the corner. I had been cornering one handed.
Ahh the good ol days!

I think I recall my Dad making right turns from the left side of the road. This was in a country town in Victoria in the fifties. I remember his arm hanging out and him waiting for traffic from ahead and behind. I don't think he was doing a uey, just a right turn. Can anyone confirm if that was the rule at the time - mid fifties.

Yes, those semaphore indicators on the B pillar. My grandma's Hillman Minx had them. Always half up or half down, or full of dust and/or water and a light that didn't work.

The truck hand signalling devices are real collectors items today, they are worth big money.
I learnt to drive in Dad's '38 Dodge 3 ton truck, with mechanical hand signal.

Trying to double declutch going down the cogs approaching a corner, operate the hand signaller with your right hand, and trying to steer and change gears at the same time with the left hand, made you busier than a one-armed paper-hanger in a high wind.

Wind-up windows and a steel roof were a luxury, many cars were still soft-top roadsters with clip-on flexible perspex windows, until the mid-1950's.

Even up until the early 1950's, there were still "C-cab" wooden-framed, doorless cabs, on quite a number of commercial vehicles.

Don't even get me started on GM's famous vacuum windscreen wipers! - or their "go-faster" drum brakes, that pulled you into the adjoining lane, when you were trying to stop!

You were going up the highway, and wanted to pass a slower vehicle in the pouring rain - and as soon as you floored it for overtaking, the wipers practically came to a halt, as the manifold vacuum dropped away to virtually nothing!

Brake lights have actually been around for a long time - since 1915.
By the late 1920's, the majority of vehicles being produced, were fitted with brake lights.

Cheers, Ron.

I remember when I was a kid we had a 48215 (FX). Had an external switch on the single tail light. Had to get out to turn it on.

I remember sticking my arm out of my FJ holden and doing a down ward stirring motion, indicating that I was going to do a U-Turn!!

My Dad had a Ford Prefect with "trafficators". My Grandfather bought a English Lanchester, it also had trafficators.



What about the old clock face traffic lights, there used to be a set at the corner of Gaffney St. & Cumberland Road, I think they were still in use up until the early 60's.

Macca.

And yes, the blue light above the windscreen to show you were towing something. In NZ anyway, you pulled to the left and waited for all traffic to pass before indicating and turning right off the main road. Got a full car and motorbike licence at 15 but couldn’t get a drink til 21 - probably smarter than getting both on the same day.