Are your car lights giving the right signals?

Most importantly, they should be aware that they are always at risk of putting theirs and others lives in danger while driving. So it should be the duty of every driver to be careful and strictly follow traffic rules while driving.

A large number of traffic accidents are caused by the misunderstanding of signals by vehicles on the road. For example, at junctions in Thailand, when a car approaches and flashes its headlights, it means the driver  wants to say, "allow me to cross first".

But when this is done elsewhere, for example in Europe, the meaning is totally different.

Over there, the car that flashes its headlights is intending to give way to the other car.

So you can imagine how misunderstandings such as this one can easily lead to an accident. One car thinks that the other will not come out while the other thinks that the other car is giving way.

The most common mistake with light signals in Thailand is the switching on of the emergency lights (hazard lights) when a vehicle passes a junction. A lot of drivers in Thailand think that if they are crossing a junction and want to drive straight ahead, they should turn on the emergency lights to tell others of the direction they are going.

The Thai law clearly states that the emergency lights should be used only when the vehicle is stationary and is unable to move. But this law is commonly broken. When it rains heavily, a lot of people also like to turn on the emergency lights while driving.

Their reason is to let others notice the lights from their vehicles, but they do not realise that this confuses other drivers who have no idea whether they want to go straight or change lanes or turn into another street.

Apart from that, it also distracts other motorists because of the constant blinking of the lights. Even the driver of that particular vehicle can be distracted by the ticking sound of hazard lights inside his car.

Since most of the misunderstandings concern the signal lights, it is important to make sure that they are in good condition.

I received an e-mail from adam555 saying that the turn lights (left side) in his 6-month-old car have started to tick and flash faster while the right side is normal. The problem persists even when he uses the emergency lights. He wants to know what has gone wrong and how he can prevent this from happening.

There could likely be a malfunction in the left turning-light system and one of the bulbs may have fused. All you have to do is turn on the lights and look at the left front and taillights. You will surely find one light which is not blinking and  so you may have to replace that bulb.

The rule is to replace the old bulb with a new one with the same brightness. Never use a new bulb which is brighter or not as bright as the old one.

Always find time to inspect your car's turning lights, especially during the rainy season or after driving through a flooded road and also after washing the car.

Just switch on the turning lights and check if there are any water droplets or mist inside the turning light cover. Try to get rid of it otherwise the moisture may cause the light to short circuit causing the bulb to fuse.

Ultimate in Luxury

The Luxury LS 460 is a wonderfully comfaortable car fitted with all mod cons, althoough not necessarily the most fun vehicle to drive.