Increasingly often I find myself sitting in traffic transfixed by the mesmerising sequence you see in the image above. Yes, for a little while now, and obviously drawing inspiration from Ford products of the 1960’s, Audi have been fitting certain models with sequential tail indicator lamps. This, in itself, isn’t anything new. What is worth commenting on, though, is how often I notice them. Of course, once you notice something for the first time you’ll keep on noticing it. Sequential indicators are more interesting than regular ones so they’re more likely to register in your memory bank when you see them. But here’s the thing- every time I’ve ever seen an Audi showing its sequential indicators, it means that the driver actually had the presence of mind to activate them. Around here, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz drivers can all stereotypically be relied on to keep traffic guessing on roundabouts by not bothering with the blinkers. Could it be that Audi drivers have only just started using their indicators because they’re keen to show off how funky they are? Probably not. But if this is the case, is this the first time responsible and considerate driving ever became cool? It was Audi, too, who boasted about their “Procon 10” cable linked impact protection system with full-width stickers on rear windscreens up to ’94. It wasn’t unusual, either, to see safety features such as ABS listed on trunklids in silver letters. But passive safety and “last resort” driver assistance aids can’t don’t have much visual clout. So, other than indicators which shout out “Hey, check me out, I’m indicating!” are there any other things that could show other road users just how great a driver we are? How about a “Seatbelts on” light on the outside of the car? Perhaps tyres which go bright red when the tread wears to unsafe levels? So, if you were a car company, how could you make your drivers stand out as the best on the road? (Lede image GIF animation by team-bhp.com, second image by Gabriel Caldwell)