Vehicles with red direction indicator lights may look like an irregularity or even a workaround, but they have already been provided for by law
Observing vehicles on the streets, you may have seen a car with the red turn signal, or flash, and thought “can that?”. The National Traffic Council (Contran) is responsible for listing the mandatory equipment of vehicles in circulation and their technical specifications. This includes items such as bumpers, tires, mirrors, headlights and taillights, for example.
But, in addition to Contran’s determination, the explanation for this questioning involves changes in the technical specifications on the direction indicator lights and even an international agreement by Mercosur.
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Despite being a strange feature for many that generates confusion in traffic and makes many drivers mad, this configuration has already been allowed. More specifically, Resolution number 14/98 of Contran, of February 1998, established that the direction indicator lights should be amber (orange) at the front and amber or red at the rear.
This changed only a few years ago, when resolutions 970/22 and 993/23 came into force and revoked the old rules. According to the texts, the direction indicator lamp must be amber in color.
But there is also another possibility for the existence of vehicles with red arrows in Brazil: the Economic Complementation Agreement signed between Mercosur and Mexico – ACE 55. The document signed in 2002 establishes bilateral trade in various types of vehicles and auto parts.
The Agreement states that the two countries “may reciprocally exchange (…) without technical restrictions in the importing country”, vehicles that comply with European or American standards for lighting systems, rear-view mirrors and seat headrests.
In this way, since the signature, many models produced in Mexico with red turn signals have been exported to Brazil and are seen on the streets to this day.
