My B9 allroad Build
02-13-2017, 12:14 PM
#73
AudiWorld Super User
02-13-2017, 12:54 PM
#74
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
02-13-2017, 01:48 PM
#75
AudiWorld Super User
02-13-2017, 01:53 PM
#76
AudiWorld Member
Thread Starter
Here's the thing... the rest of the world all subscribe to a uniform system of vehicle regulations mandated by the UN. 60 countries, including the US.
However, the US is the only party to the agreement that has its own standards and does not follow them. That's why you cannot legally import a car here from overseas.
Canada has a safety act that broadly mimics the US, but Canada does allow vehicles that adhere to the international standard.
So because of our laws, Audi and everybody else have to have market-specific parts and options, which drastically increases costs and may or may not actually have an impact on safety.
Last edited by wdimagineer; 02-13-2017 at 01:56 PM.
02-13-2017, 02:09 PM
#77
AudiWorld Super User
It really depends on who you ask. Here in the US, the IIHS would love to tell you that their regimen for crash testing is more advanced. In Europe, I suspect EuroNCAP would have similar thoughts on theirs.
Here's the thing... the rest of the world all subscribe to a uniform system of vehicle regulations mandated by the UN. 60 countries, including the US.
However, the US is the only party to the agreement that has its own standards and does not follow them. That's why you cannot legally import a car here from overseas.
Canada has a safety act that broadly mimics the US, but Canada does allow vehicles that adhere to the international standard.
So because of our laws, Audi and everybody else have to have market-specific parts and options, which drastically increases costs and may or may not actually have an impact on safety.
Here's the thing... the rest of the world all subscribe to a uniform system of vehicle regulations mandated by the UN. 60 countries, including the US.
However, the US is the only party to the agreement that has its own standards and does not follow them. That's why you cannot legally import a car here from overseas.
Canada has a safety act that broadly mimics the US, but Canada does allow vehicles that adhere to the international standard.
So because of our laws, Audi and everybody else have to have market-specific parts and options, which drastically increases costs and may or may not actually have an impact on safety.
02-13-2017, 04:11 PM
#78
AudiWorld Member
You may know the answer then, why does Audi replace the amber turn signals with reds in North America? Is it marketing? Ambers are most definitely legal here, and they're even showing up on some American trucks. Meanwhile, I think it's Toyota I've seen switching some models over to reds. This when ambers are shown to be the "safer" option.
02-13-2017, 05:57 PM
#79
AudiWorld Super User
You may know the answer then, why does Audi replace the amber turn signals with reds in North America? Is it marketing? Ambers are most definitely legal here, and they're even showing up on some American trucks. Meanwhile, I think it's Toyota I've seen switching some models over to reds. This when ambers are shown to be the "safer" option.
02-13-2017, 08:10 PM
#80
AudiWorld Member
But the stylists don’t deserve all the blame. In America, the brake light and rear turn signal must each have a lit lens area of at least 50 cm2 (7¾ in2). The American regulation calls this lit lens area “EPLLA” for Effective Projected Luminous Lens Area. This minimum-size requirement doesn’t exist outside America. It’s not such a big deal on a large vehicle where there’s plenty of space for a large rear lamp, but on smaller rear lamps space is at a premium. There often isn’t room for two lamps of at least 50 cm2, so that makes a design constraint. The solution? American regs say rear turn signals can be implemented by flashing the brake light, so the automaker needs to have only one lamp of at least 50 cm2 per side. Problem solved; the red combination brake/tail/turn lamp is legal.
But should it be? Is it good enough? It has the safety drawback of red instead of amber. And with a combination lamp, a driver braking and signaling at the same time shows other drivers only two-thirds of a full brake light indication. A driver getting on and off the brakes while the turn signal's on creates a confusing mess of flashing red lights, and a faulty lamp takes out two crash-avoidance light functions instead of just one.