Warm White and Amber Familiar in Domestic Driving Environment
"Red Lights Cause Confusion and Increase Accident Risk"
It has been revealed that over the past seven years, imported cars equipped with red turn signals (blinkers) have reached 113,840 units.
According to data submitted by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport to Han Junho, a member of the National Assembly's Land, Infrastructure and Transport Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, more than half (56.3%) of the 202,082 Korea-US Free Trade Agreement (FTA) applied vehicles sold domestically from 2017 to this year are equipped with red turn signals.
By import manufacturer, the numbers are ▲GM Korea (48,380 units) ▲Tesla (31,241 units) ▲Ford Sales Service Korea (10,635 units) ▲Mercedes-Benz Korea (7,554 units) in order. In particular, the turn signal colors of vehicles from GM Korea, Mercedes-Benz Korea, Stellantis Korea, and Volkswagen Group Korea were all red.
According to the domestic Automobile Management Act, car turn signals must use bulbs that emit yellow or amber (orange) or the same color. However, under the FTA, cars produced in the United States can be imported domestically with red turn signals up to 50,000 units annually as long as they meet the US automotive safety standards.
Currently, the United States regulates the color of turn signals as amber or red.
Cars equipped with red turn signals meet US safety standards and can be sold domestically, but when encountered on the road, they are difficult to distinguish from rear brake lights, which can easily cause driver misperception.
The number of vehicles equipped with red turn signals by year was ▲2018 (17,471 units) ▲2019 (15,704 units) ▲2020 (26,115 units) ▲2021 (21,596 units) ▲2022 (17,262 units).
The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport has reportedly requested the change of turn signal colors (excluding red) following US regulations at the Korea-US FTA Automotive Working Group meetings held annually since 2013. However, the US side has not accepted this.
Assemblyman Han said, "Red turn signals, which are similar to brake lights, can cause confusion among domestic drivers who are accustomed to yellow turn signals, increasing the risk of accidents," and added, "More active government-level efforts are needed to unify the color of turn signals on imported vehicles."
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