When Were Blinkers Put On Cars?

I heard a stat that 57% of drivers do not use their turn signal when changing lanes. As someone who uses his blinker even when turning into his own house, I was surprised to read this.

I think the turn signal is a great invention…which leads me to today’s Wonder Why Wednesday question…

Here’s a brief history of the blinker:

1909 – a British man named Percy Douglas-Hamilton created a set of hands that were placed on each side of the car. The hands could be illuminated to indicate the car was making a turn.

1914 – the “auto-signaling arm” is credited to actress Florence Lawrence (fun name).

1925 – Edgar Walz Jr. patented a light on the back of cars with two arrows and a light for breaking.

Late 1930s – Joseph Bell patented the first electrical turn signal that actually blinked.

1939 – Buick made blinkers a standard feature on all their cars.

However, the blinker as we know it today did not become widespread until the mid-1950s.

 

Source: New York Times