The Introduction of Car Dashboard Warning Lights
We all know that feeling of impending doom when we see something light up on the dashboard as we’re driving. Is the gas tank getting low? Did I accidentally turn my brights on!? We think, as we try to not flinch at the soft glow coming from one of our dashboard warning lights, warning us of potentially expensive car repairs. But then you notice that the light is in the shape of a car with its doors open and you breath a sigh of relief as you pull the car over and open and shut whichever door had been slightly ajar. Dashboard warning lights are a very common feature of cars now-a-days, but what did drivers have to warn them before this technology was installed in every vehicle on the road?
These warning lights first came about in the 1930s when they were created by the Hudson Motor Car Company to replace the gauges that were commonly used to identify how much longer a car could go until it would have issues with its things like the oil-pressure. Many drivers preferred the older gauges over the new dashboard lights as they gave them some warning to issues while the lights only alerted them to an issue once it has already happened. Because of this, dashboard lights were commonly referred to as “idiot lights”.
Now dashboard lights are regulated by automobile safety standards worldwide and have uniform specifications for each type of warning light. In the United States these standards are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 101, Canada’s is regulated by the Canada Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 101, and Europe (and elsewhere) s regulated by the ECE Regulations.
Do you know how to recognize the urgency behind the warning lights based on their color? They are color coded by their severity:
Red lights are a warning and require immediate attention.
Yellow/Orange are advisory lights to make you aware of an issue that doesn’t need immediate action.
Blue lights require no attention and are there to make you aware of a function that is on.
Did you know that there are 52 (!!!) different dashboard lights to warn you of issues with your vehicle? From a dirty air filter to a lane departure warning to rear spoiler warning, these lights have you covered in pretty much any sort of vehicular emergency! Take a gander at the many lights below, the original source for this graphic can be found here. While you’re there give the quiz a whirl and see if you can identify the warning lights better than 75% of the population.
