Why Is There No U-Turn Signal?

Why Is There No U-Turn Signal?

Since I was young this has been a question that has bothered me from time to time on the road. At this point, with driving conditions as congested as they are in different areas of the country, how difficult would it be to put in an indicator light that would tell other drivers that you're about to attempt a u-turn?

There have been several times where I've seen a specific tableau play out in front of me. The car in front of me is about to make a right on a red light with the traffic to the right going on a green left arrow. All of a sudden somebody who gave no previous indication decided to make a u-turn while the driver in front of me is half way through his right turn. Cue the honking and screaming as the best of outcomes with the worst being an accident. How could this have been prevented? Easy. A u-turn indicator.

If there was a small portion of the turn signal (perhaps in red?) that flashed at a different rate than that of the turn signal itself, it would let drivers at all four viewable angles know not only that you're making a u-turn, but where and in which direction! 

Ok, this may not be a new idea, but I've been thinking about it since the mid 1990's. I'm willing to bet that others have tried to come up with something similar only to be shot down by manufacturers.

I understand that it's difficult to teach drivers new behaviors and to introduce new features and expect them to be used properly, but someone had to be the first to utilize the turn signal!

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Written By: Todd Hendrickson