It had a four-lobed shape with lenses for lights indicating slow, stop, left or right turn. The Smithsonian now has a handmade, one-off signal, for instance, that Oscar J. Meanwhile drivers and inventors kept working on other solutions. They just weren't interested, and the patent expired fourteen years later. who, in 1925, secured a patent for one and tried to market it to major car manufacturers. The first modern turn signal, though, can be attributed to Edgar A.
According to the December 1985 issue of Popular Mechanics, the Protex Safety Signal Company introduced flashing turn signals in 1920. As the driver pushed a button, a sign on the rear bumper came up telling others which way the driver would turn. (Note: she also designed the first mechanical brake signal and her mother Charlotte Bridgewood patented the first automatic windshield wipers). Fast forward to 1914 when silent-film star Florence Lawrence designed (though failed to patent) a mechanical signaling arm. Apparently the lights were shaped like hands so other drivers, accustomed to reading hand signals, would understand their meaning. patent 912831) for a device "indicating the intended movements of vehicles". In 1907 Percy Douglas-Hamilton applied for a patent (received in 1909 as U.S. So, why didn't someone come up with a solution that would lead to greater safety and comfort for the motoring public? Well, several "someones" did just that - and early on.