Comment by lucb1e | Hacker News Reader

Comment by lucb1e | Hacker News Reader

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Your comment was the top one and it encouraged me to just click through to the article and... I just don't get it after the first paragraph. Indeed, colour blindness? But that doesn't make you "know" it wrong, that makes you not be able to tell (afaik). So then... the kid was either joking, had learned it the wrong way around, or tied the name 'red' to the bottom position perhaps.

... turns out it's a localization problem. If you're sitting too low at the front of the queue, you'd see the overhead traffic light often better than the drivers do. I didn't think that this must, of course, be another USA-localization story and the traffic lights are elsewhere over there (across the crossing I guess).

> used to driving at confusing intersections where it's not clear which light applies

and I guess that explains why there are different systems. Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to.

I'm not sure if you caught this or not, but I think the actual key to the story is that the child in the rear seat of the car and looking out the side window at the light for the stopped crossing traffic. Unfortunately for the anecdote, the "rear seat" part isn't mentioned until the 4th paragraph: "So I was in the back seat sitting next to Ben".

I think the issue is that in the US, all children below some age must be in a car seat, and in some US states, that car seat must be in the back of the car. The author presumed that by mentioning her son was 3 at the time, that her audience would automatically understand that he was in the rear of the car. Even as an American, I didn't.

I think it would make a better story if this was made explicit.

You ever seen a 3 year old in the front seat?

Yes. I'm 50, and grew up before the common use of car seats for children. Children of all ages would commonly ride in the front seat, or even in the back of pickup trucks. Even today, only about half the states have rules specifying that the carseats must be installed in the rear: https://saferide4kids.com/car-seat-laws-by-state/

As a fun anecdote, my father grew up prior to the time that most cars even came with factory seat belts. Before taking a family trip to Alaska in the 50's, his mother read about them and demanded that her husband install them in the station wagon before the trip. So he bought straps and buckles of some sort from a hardware store, and bolted them on so that all 6 kids would have "seatbelts" for the trip.

But you're 50. I'm 55, and for the large majority of my life (and presumably smaller than yours) kids were relegated to the back seat.

These laws are regulated by the states and vary widely:

Child Passenger Safety Laws in the United States, 1978–2010: Policy Diffusion in the Absence of Strong Federal Intervention

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3899584/#!po=1....

Remember getting stuck with the "hump" in the middle of the floor? I guess it was only a problem if you have more than one sibling and your parents had rear-wheel drive.

Maybe state dependent? I’m not yet 40 and recall being excited that I could finally ride up front when I turned 3.

At 3? You've got a damn good memory

Only a handful of vignettes from 3-5 but the excitement of riding in the front seat was enough to cement that one.

Hmm, I know car seats weren't always as big a thing, but I think it's pretty rare these days for a 3 year old to be in the front seat. Am I the only one who would instinctively feel it was unsafe? I feel like this would have been obvious even before I had kids and was basically clueless about their safety.

See also: the opening of The Simpsons

Yes. Up to a few years ago, I would often see rear facing car seats in the passenger side. It makes it easier for the driver to reach out to the toddler.

> Why not change them around in the USA as well? It's not as if people could be confused and look at the wrong lights, as the others' lights are simply not visible when the lights are all on the side nearest to the lane(s) they apply to.

As a German in the US, I find the positioning of traffic lights to be one of the very few traffic-related this that are better in the US. In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all. I never have an issue seeing the traffic light in the US. Figuring out which light is yours very rarely is a problem. At least not on the west coast where you usually have grid patterns.

> In Europe I find myself frequently leaned forward and looking up at the traffic light to see it at all.

Yeah that's exactly the issue I meant. I've never seen anything else though, so I don't know if it's better or worse. Just that the person I was replying to said they were sometimes confused by the US system.

I guess my approach to all this is to not drive as much and especially not much while in cities where there are traffic lights .. and public transport options. But if you've moved to the USA I suppose that's probably just not an option for you :/

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