To go to the press?

[29herzie]

So, WIBU to take the following to the papers or does anyone have a better suggestion?

We hired a car a few weeks ago on holiday. It turned out that it had an electric parking brake (no handbrake). DH discovered that the only way to know if this button hand been pressed (and if the brake was on) was a tiny red light on the dashboard. DH is colourblind and couldn't see the light in the sun. The car then rolled off down the hill, luckily without my DCs in the back and ended up 'only' demolishing a fence. We were in the Alps and so could have been much worse.

We are currently still waiting on the outcome of the dispute with the car hire company about this, but I also contacted the car manufacturer. I believe there is a design flaw that they need to address. They have just come back to me to say that it's nothing to do with them and we need to make our needs known to a hire company in future. I am not happy with this and feel that they should be thinking about making sure their cars are safe to drive, DH can't be the only driver who is red/green colourblind?

What do you think?

[AnnaT45]

I agree there should be noise. My car makes one if handbrake isn't on fully.

You could try talk to the press but depends if there is enough of an issue with it. There should be a standard at least across all cars.

Also, well done for staying around when people clearly aren't reading things properly!

[RubyChewsDay]

What car is it OP?

HeyNonnyMaybe My car is 11 years old and has one, I dont think they are that new.
I got used to it fairly quickly and when Im driving the work car I keep pressing the dashboard to try & find the switch that isnt there.

[ChopsticksandChilliCrab]

You are not allowed to learn to drive in Singapore if you are colour blind. Foreigners who convert their licences are ok but any new drivers are affected. I have always thought this was OTT but maybe there is a point to it.

[TheFairyCaravan]

I've had electric parking brakes on my cars for years. DS1 has driven them perfectly well since the day he passed his driving test. When he went to join the army we found out that he's quite severely red/green colour blind (1 point away from being allowed in and restricted in the jobs he can do). He can still see that the lights on the dashboard are lit up or not on a car.


What make of car is it?

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

How does he manage at traffic lights?

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

I just dont get this.

Surely you'd be curious enough to put some effort into working it all out by making sure the brake was on by checking it wasn't off?

[AnnaT45]

Traffic lights flash Amber before they turn green for this reason

[SoupDragon]

No they don't.

For a start, it's only pedestrian crossings that do this.

[Topsy34]

Don't electric handbrakes come on automatically? I've had 2 cars with electric handbrakes and they come on once the ignition is off.

Sorry OP but really? Pay the damage and move on

[AnnaT45]

Oh sorry soup! Either way everyone knows the order? Anyway feel like most people are in disagreement with OP but it does sound like a design oversight to me.

[Radyward]

Why didn't he be super careful and put the car in gear ? Another form of brake on a steep incline .
Totally his fault the whole ' crash '

[OurBlanche]

It's odd, but quite understandable, but you can see a clear reason for the divide in opinion.

Those who have experience with or own a car with such a handbrake say "It's obvious, get a grip".

Those who have only passing experience with one think they are bloody weird, annoying, possibly dangerous.

I imagine that I will eventually join the first group. But until then, the bloody things don't make sense and I do not like them

OP, you probably won't find much support in the media but you might, as the rate at which cars are being made 'safer', taking decisions out of the driver's hands isn't universally seen as a good thing.

[LurkingHusband]

How does he manage at traffic lights?

A question that has been answered several times already. In this thread, even .

[notonyurjellybellynelly]

How does he manage at traffic lights?

A question that has been answered several times already. In this thread, even


Yes, I did go back and read the thread. But just think. If I hadn't asked the question in the first place you'd have probably had to go and do something else instead.

You do have other things to do?

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

I can't get over not being supposed to depress the button on a manual handbrake. I always feel a bit Dukes of Hazard reckless when I don't

[OurBlanche]

What do you get taught about it? If anything, I suppose!

I remember the phrase "Ratchet on, button off" so that's what I do.

See, now I'm doing the "It's obvious" posts

[HandsomeGroomGiveHerRoom]

I'm sure I was taught to put the handbrake on smoothly. Now I'm doubting my ability to drive at all

[DieselSpillages]

You could take it to the Daily Mail if you don't mind telling them how much your house is worth

[ComposHatComesBack]

Or if her husband 'flaunts his enviable curves'.

I am red/green colour blind and the only way I would not be able to distinguish between a light on a dashboard would be if it were a red=off green=on without any other visual marker or positional change.


As I understand it, in this case it was Red = brake on No light = brake on. So the husband's colour blindness was a non-issue. He or I might not be able to tell the colour of the warning light but should be able to tell a warning light was being displayed.

As far as I am concerned this is an attempt to shoehorn the colour blindness issue into a debate where it simply isn't an issue to deflect from the fact the husband was a bit of a careless dofus on this occasion.

[ComposHatComesBack]

Red = brake on No light = brake on

Sorry should read...

*red= brake on No light = brake off' just as is the case in car with a physical handbrake.

[TheFairyCaravan]

Compos that's how I understand it wrt the colourblindness. DS1 is allowed to drive tanks and combat vehicles in his role in the army, despite his colourblindness, because the lights inside don't go from red to green and vice versa.

[LurkingHusband]

Speaking of colour-blindness, I'm colour blind (R-G). I didn't know until age 11, when the school medical picked it up. so far, the only time it ever affects me is when I take colour-blindness tests . Although I have to admit there are certain shades of red/green/orange that are a bit "samey".

Not drifting OT, but disappearing from here, and landing in another universe I was fascinated to learn of a condition where people are able to see an extra colour us trichromats can't see .

[maplerose]

My land rover has an electronic handbrake. It comes on automatically as soon as I turn the engine off. I actually thought that was a pretty standard safety feature but obviously not.

[BunnyTyler]

Have checked the indication on my car for 'handbrake on' in the spirit of research.

I have a Hyundai, and the light on the dash is:
Red
The symbol is: ( ! )

The same handbrake indication as I have had on my old manual cars.
Regardless of colour, it is an obvious on/off distinctive symbol which cannot be confused with anything else.

OP, what make was the hire car? What format was the dash indication?

[ComposHatComesBack]

in his role in the army, despite his colourblindness, because the lights inside don't go from red to green and vice versa.


I always wanted to be a train driver, but because the signal lights aren't in a regular pattern on the railways (often a single lamp has a green yellow and orange light) they don't let the colour blind drive trains or work on the tracks or platforms.