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Comment by lowbloodsugar | Hacker News Reader

Red means “stop” and green means “go”. So how the fuck does red mean “this door is passable”??!

“Unsafe” is contextual. If you are inside the car, and the car is on fire, then “locked” is very much the “unsafe” option.

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I've been in moving vehicles where opening the door would have been unsafe more than I've been in car fires. I often lock my car when leaving as well which usually unlocked is a bad state to leave it in, that normally happens more often than being in a burning car.

Are you in burning cars often?

Honestly, if I’m in the car and we’re driving then I want to see a red light for same reason: red means stop and green means go. Or from outside after parking it: will this door open or will it stop somebody.

Red also often means "danger, caution" not just "stop". A red stop sign means "pay extreme attention here, there's danger, please stop and evaluate". A red DO NOT ENTER sign isn't just saying to stop, its saying there's danger heading that direction. If you just stop there its probably not going to end well, So clearly they're signaling more than just "stop".

I'm still unsure, have you been in many burning cars before? More than just moving vehicles?

If you’re inside a car and the car is on fire, you’re not determining the state of the door lock by its position visually. For people inside the car unlocked is the unsafe position in most cases (leaving, driving.)

(Do car still come doors that don’t automatically unlock when the handle is pulled, if the child safety switch is disabled?)

On many guns, switching the safety to the "fire" position exposes a red dot, red meaning "hot" or "fire".

Yeah my CZ pistol is like that and it’s fucking terrifying because in my mind red means stop or locked. I actually feel more secure with my Glock because it doesn’t have a safety so it’s unambiguous. If I point my Glock and squeeze, I know it’s going to fire.

The red of a stop light makes a lot more sense in relation to the red of a fire mode on a gun when you think of red being "caution, unsafe" instead of just "stop". Just like the red of a STOP sign is to caution you into paying attention of the danger of the cross traffic, not necessarily just stopping.

Red lights on top of towers isn't trying to tell planes and helicopters to stop, its telling planes to exercise caution around the tower.

Or like at a railway crossing. The flashing lights indicate danger, and the barriers drop. According to GP, the lights should flash when the barrier is not dropped, because now it's unsafe, FFS.

Reprogram your brain for "Red means danger, green means safe" and you'll do a lot better.

Red at a traffic light means there's a danger so you stop. Green means it's safe to proceed.

Red on a gun safety switch means danger because it's live.

The red wire is live and dangerous. The green wire is earth and safe. (at least true in Europe).

Ah, my CZ is a DA/SA with a decocker. I'd recommend it! No manual safety, but you can hold the hammer forward while holstering.

At my current workplace (particle accelerator) one control panel in particular has red for "good" as in "this is red, so don't go in here, because everything's fine and you have no reason to". Always amuses me.

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