Last time we looked at two bad better ideas from a recent Parade magazine story. This time, we saved the best (worst) for last: brake lights on the front of cars.

These would, note the editors and experts, “better communicate the intentions of drivers.” It quotes a reader who’s been stuck in the “middle of an intersection under the traffic light, ready to make a left-hand turn…I never know when the oncoming traffic is stopping.”

Uh…no. This is wrong on so many levels we have to break it down.

“Intentions” leave a lot to be desired. It assumes the approaching driver has decided, where in reality they may not have noticed the light, will try to beat the yellow, or aren’t sure themselves what they’ll do next. I’d wait and see, and lean on the horn when (if?) they do something stupid, dangerous, inconsiderate, or all of the above.

We could point out to the dear reader that if the front of the approaching vehicle suddenly drops, it probably is under braking, improving the chances that it’s going to stop. If it isn’t moving, that’s a good sign to complete your turn. But it’s still a chance, and the determination on when to go is up to you.

If something goes wrong, the lawyers and insurance companies will decide liability later, not you, not the police, not the courts. And remember, the government has a different view of things—if you’re driving at a couple of miles-an-hour over the posted (prima facie) speed limit, and somebody turns left in front of you, speed is listed as a contributing factor in the collision. Of course, you wouldn’t be able to avoid it were you going 45 mph instead of 47, but that’s beside the point.

I find plenty of people, even a few clutch users, that drive with their left foot on the brake pedal and brake lights (facing forward) on. Are we prepared to turn every vehicle into an emergency vehicle? Is every government entity going to rewrite their legislation? In my home state, a fixed, forward-facing red light is the only kind you have to pull over for.

Americans already drive into the back of one another more than they did twenty-odd years ago when the CHMSL (center high-mounted stop lamp) became a rule. Will more lights really improve matters?

And you know if this becomes the rule, some smartass will take to driving around backwards. I’ve not done it on public roads, but I have driven a car backwards at 60 mph. Many years ago a senator proposed a series of colored lights on the back of cars for different conditions; green for car under power, yellow for car not under power or brake, red for car slowing or stopped.

Fortunately that silliness never made it to legislation, and this proposed silliness joins a long list of fixes for people never really learning how to drive in the first place.