Questions and Answers
Red Or Amber Turn Signals
Q. I was hoping you could just answer a quick question to settle a quarrel. Who decides the color of the turn signal on a car? Is it simply a design decision based on the visual attractiveness, or is there some law requiring a certain color depending on where the car is driven or manufactured?
My friend seems to think that amber turn signals must be in cars built overseas, and that red or amber may appear in a car in the US.
Thanks for any info you can supply.
RobertA. You know, I never thought much about turn signal colors. There is no federal law, that I know of, governing the color, just that they be distinctive and unmistakable. I don't believe that there ia a law that says all cars built outside of the United States must have amber turn signals. If that were the case, then foreign car makers would have a discrimination case against the federal government. I would think it more likely that American auto makes use red because they have always been red and they adhere to that tradition. Japanese car makers tend to be more innovative when it comes to style and design.
Personally, I think the amber turn signals are better and more visible
