Manual Signal Indicator
Object detail
Accession number
2022.56
Production period
Description
Manual Signal Indicator.
Long black metal pole with yellow hand attached to the end. The hand is attached by a screw on which it is able to pivot. A metal rod runs through the pole and is attached around a knob on the hand. The rod retracts when the end of the pole is pulled out and tips the hand down.
Long black metal pole with yellow hand attached to the end. The hand is attached by a screw on which it is able to pivot. A metal rod runs through the pole and is attached around a knob on the hand. The rod retracts when the end of the pole is pulled out and tips the hand down.
Brief History
Before light emitting indicators were part of safety regulations on vehicles, drivers would put their arm out of a vehicle’s window to let other road users know if they were turning or stopping. This could be a dangerous procedure if not properly visible to other road users.
This object was made to help make manual indication safer. It's a mechanical arm that mimics the action of hand signalling and would have been attached to a truck’s door for the driver to indicate a turn. Examples of this type of mechanical arm are shown in images of New Zealand Railways and New Zealand Post Bedford OLB trucks from the 1950s.
This technology was followed by flick-out levers from a vehicle's roof and, later, lights that were designed to fit into the vehicle’s body – what we still see on the roads today.
This object was made to help make manual indication safer. It's a mechanical arm that mimics the action of hand signalling and would have been attached to a truck’s door for the driver to indicate a turn. Examples of this type of mechanical arm are shown in images of New Zealand Railways and New Zealand Post Bedford OLB trucks from the 1950s.
This technology was followed by flick-out levers from a vehicle's roof and, later, lights that were designed to fit into the vehicle’s body – what we still see on the roads today.
Media/Materials
Credit Line
Manual Signal Indicator, 2022.56. The Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT).
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