Custom Car taillights. car signals to a arduino controlling ws2812b

Hello, this is my first time here, and have a idea for a project but I have no idea of how to go about it.
so I have a idea where I want to have a custom set of tail lights for my car and the car signal would run through the arduino and tell the lights what to do. ex when I hit the left blinker I want the lights to change from red running lights to a orange sequential. I want the arduino to handle the job of taking the car signal and then telling the ws2812b what to do. I've read that I cant just put 11-14v (the car off/running voltage) into the arduino, id need some sort of controller to interpret the car signal to the arduino as a input, and then telling the leds what to do at that point. So how would I do this? also would I be able to power the arduino using the cars 11-14v and or the ws2812b? sorry if it is a general question, I just don't know what to ask or what information to give.

This is quite a common project on the forum. Use the search forum icon at the top of the page to find similar projects, where the same questions have been asked and answered.

these are 3 different questions:

  • how to operate an Arduino in a vehicle environment and from vehicle electricity
  • how to read data/signals from a vehicle into the Arduino to control program logic.
  • how to display different patterns on the Neopixel.

you should do one after the other. You chose the order.

Honestly, you should start only if you have done all IDE examples Basics, Analog & Digital.

okay, thanks for the direction, ill see what I come up with