The days before blinkers & stop lights.

Submitted: Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 19:45
ThreadID: 42891 Views:2551 Replies:11 FollowUps:20
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It makes me laugh, when you think back to when drivers stuck their arm out the window to make a right hand turn, or hand up to stop!. Imagine that these days!!, HAHAHA, There would be amputated limbs all over the road. At least the old buses & trucks had the sliding metal arm with the hand stuck on it. Thats one area electrical components have made a huge difference.

Cheers Axle.
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Reply By: Shaker - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:29

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:29
They may have had an excuse not to indicate in those days ...... but what excuse do they have today???
Consistently drivers either don't indicate at all, or turn their indicator AFTER they have hit the brakes to slow down, surely a turn indicator is to warn the other vehicles that you are about to slow down to turn.
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Follow Up By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:39

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:39
Shaker
I see it all the time, they merge back into the lane as they give 1 blink , a pure waste of time but I guess they think the 1 blink justifies and say's ..... well I've indicated
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Reply By: Motherhen - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:35

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:35
We got an Austin Ute that had these red things that stuck out which you could operate from inside, without winding the window down and getting wet. People said - They will never work, drivers have to see the arm out the window. How times have changed.
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:41

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:41
They were called "trafficators" & worked electromagnetically, often had to give the pillar a thump to them get to pop out & sometimes another thump to get them tp drop back down!
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Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:44

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:44
The first VW had that prob, amongst others!.
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Follow Up By: kimprado - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:52

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 20:52
Axle

They sure were fun times. Received my first broken thumb cranking the bloody things.

My old girl was really into manually operating the wind screen wipers when it rained.

Going around to the back of the truck to switch on the tail lights.

Petrol through the mouth (always looked forward to that).

Being stuck in the bush until the old man returned with some help

We should of course mention English technology and reliability. A gear box back then required a high degree of simplicity from the user.

Electric and fuel systems were also a thing of absolute joy.

Thing I have a problem with.... why do you think it's a big laugh?

Regards

Kim
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Follow Up By: joc45 - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:17

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:17
Those "trafficators" were still used by old ladies driving Morrie Minors right up till the 80's (that's those old girls who hadn't already been wiped out with their driving habits). They'd blithely pop out their trafficator, thinking that the drivers around them could see it and just turn the corner, regardless of the traffic situation. And then drive for the next 10km with the thing sticking out. Scary stuff!!
Another Lucas invention, I believe!!! Wonderful British engineering....

And on the topic of those truck hand signals, in the early 60's, I recall a mate had an old FJ ute which had the most bizarre mod; a vacuum-operated hand signal which was fitted under the bonnet. It was a long vacuum piston with a hand on the end which poked out thru an opening in the rhs of the bonnet. Came out far enough to work like the truckies signal. Was operated by a valve on the dash. Got a laugh, if nothing else.
Gerry
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:26

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:26
Joc - truckies signal? I now recall Dad getting a big hand for thr truck which could stick out or turn up to signal. Now that WAS hi-tech.
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Follow Up By: Member - John R (NSW) - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 05:18

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 05:18
The flip out thingies the VW's and some Pommy cars had were called Semaphores. :-)
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 09:19

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 09:19
John R ... I was about to say you are wrong calling them Semaphores, but luckily I checked & believe it or not ... we are both right!
See here " target="EOF" class="lbg">www.answers.com/topic/trafficators
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Reply By: Member - Doug T (W.A) - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:12

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:12
Axle
Showing your age Old Chap,......been there ....done that..
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Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:34

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:34
:))) Thanks Doug!!.
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Reply By: Middle Jeff - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:57

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 21:57
I can remember my old mans FC had vacum windscreen wipers, the higher the revs the faster the wipers went, but as soon as you hit top gear to cruise they died.

Have fun

Craig
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Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 11:08

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 11:08
They actually nearly stopped with full throttle, but when you backed off they went ballistic!
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Follow Up By: Middle Jeff - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 20:05

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 20:05
Hi Shaker

Your right, I started thinking about that car last night and a lot of memories came back, hard vinyl seats that every time dad braked or went around a corner to fast we all ended up on the floor or hard up against each other.

We should have all died, lucky the old man was a fair driver.

Have fun

Craig
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Reply By: Footloose - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 22:38

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 22:38
Was in a very modern car yesterday, and noticed how quiet the indicators are. Easy to forget if you have em on or not. Yes there are visual indicators but often you're too busy with the traffic.
Ahh, the days when the indicators went CLICK CLICK, easy to know if you'd activated them.
My old man had a Wolsley 680, a bigger bit of English crap was never made (yes worse than a L/R :). Thats where I found out that chrome don't always get yer home.
It had the pop out indicators, I think they were a faded orange colour.
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Follow Up By: Max - Sydney - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:14

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:14
I find most indicators are silent until I put in my hearing aids.

Maybe that's your problem too Footy?

But it was important to make sure the "clipper clopper" as my younger siblings called the indicator came in - you could burn out the coil if its out too long!

:-))
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Follow Up By: Footloose - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:53

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:53
Max, not much wrong with my hearing yet. It's only when there's a gentle purr from the sports exhaust (!) that I can't hear em. If it's just idleing I can...just.
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Reply By: Member - Crazy Dog (QLD) - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:43

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:43
Yep - the young fellas used to pass a beer from car to car - now days ....well....

Grrr!!!
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Reply By: Member - extfilm (NSW) - Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:47

Saturday, Mar 03, 2007 at 23:47
Funny this post should come up........
I saw an old morry today with indicators that popped up and down....... Turning left, the arm went up and down and up and down..... I had to laugh...... I can only presume it is still legal to drive a vehicle with a mechanical indicator system. I can not remember what the rules were when I was duing pink slips 15 years ago.
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Reply By: Michael ( Moss Vale NSW) - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 00:02

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 00:02
I remember my old uncle saying many years ago referring to putting your arm out the window to indicate turning using a hand signal was, Quote, " The only thing you can be sure of when a woman driver had her arm out the window was that, the window was down" !! Michael
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Follow Up By: Outnabout David (SA) - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 08:36

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 08:36
Never a truer word spoken.......lol
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Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:20

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:20
My dear old aunt, used to stop.... Then put her hand up!! That was in a ford prefect, the back of that thing looked like you know what."))).
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Reply By: Member No 1- Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:18

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:18
cycle users can now stick their left arm out to go left.....it used to be right arm out at horizontal with forearm pointing upward...how stupid was that
AnswerID: 225189

Follow Up By: Shaker - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 11:10

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 11:10
That was keep it the same as a motor vehicle, be pretty hard to stick your arm out the left window for a left turn.
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Follow Up By: Member - Axle - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:49

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:49
Stick your left arm out for left turn on a pushie!, fine as long as there are no
powerpoles, bus signs, trees, :))).

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Reply By: Ray Bates - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:58

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 10:58
I would suppose nowadays that if you gave a hand signal you would get done for having part of your body outside the vehicle
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Follow Up By: Motherhen - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:14

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 13:14
Probably would Ray, but i still use hand signals rather than nothing when the indicators have failed (rear indicators on tray back Cruiser are always getting wires damaged). I'd rather cop a fine than a truck running into me when turning. We need to re-design them - my son set his back further under the tray and they seem to last longer.
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Follow Up By: Member - Davoe (Nullagine) - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 14:27

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 14:27
they may actually still be a legel means of indicating. certainlythey were in the road rules i learnt in the mid 80s
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Follow Up By: Middle Jeff - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 20:11

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 20:11
Your right, in NSW you would get done for the arm out of the window and no blinkers, under no circumstance are you to put any part of your body out of the car.

Have fun

Craig
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Reply By: mfewster - Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 21:13

Sunday, Mar 04, 2007 at 21:13
In WA at any rate, in the 40's, right arm out with the hand turned up vertically from the elbow was used in vehicles and push bikes to signal both stopping and/or a left hand turn. You were supposed to give the signal, start to brake, then pull your hand in while changing gears, then stick the hand out again. Guess the theory was that you were going to slow right down before turning left. We used to be visited by police at school in WA who would drill us about the signals - and also about the danger of waving your arm outside the vehicle - which never seemed to quite add up.
I still react to drongoes who dangle their arms out the window on hot days. My reflexes still are that they are giving a hand signal.
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