When people are asked about pet peeves
or things that bother them, often one of the top things mentioned is
when people don't use their turn signal. Personally, this doesn't
bother me much, but I found it interesting that it seems to bother a
lot of other drivers.
I agree that turn signals should
definitely be used in some cases, but in other cases, I think it is
ok not to use them. According to the law, you should always use a
turn signal when making a turn as well as in many other instances,
but is it really necessary to use a signal in every situation? Here I
will go over some examples on when you should use a turn signal and
when you really don't have to in my opinion.
The purpose of the turn signal is to
notify other drivers and pedestrians around you of what you are about
to do such as making a turn or changing lanes. So it is important to
use the signal when your action will have an affect on those around
you because they need to be prepared.
For example, if you are driving in the
right hand lane and you are going to be making a right turn into a
driveway and there is someone behind you, you need to put in your
right signal to let them know you are about to slow down and make a
turn. Without the signal, they will not expect it. They will only see
your brake lights and then wonder why you are slowing down in the
middle of the road for no reason. It's easy to see why not using a
signal would be bothersome to the person behind in this situation.
Another example of when a signal is
needed would be at a 4 way stop when there are cars pulling up at the
same time from different directions. This can be a confusing
situation so it is important to put on your signal to let the other
drivers know which way you are planning to turn.
Putting on your signal when changing
lanes around other cars or merging in traffic is also important as it
makes it safer by letting the other drivers around you know what you
are about to do. Trying to merge or change lanes without a turn
signal can catch people off guard and can make for unsafe driving
conditions.
So there are many situations when using
a turn signal is necessary, but what about situations where you do
not need to use your signal?
As mentioned before, the purpose of the
turn signal is to notify those around you of your actions. Because of
this, I would argue that you really only need to use a signal when
there are actually other drivers or pedestrians around you. This
means if you pull up to a street to make a turn and there is no one
in sight, there really is no reason to put on the signal because
there is no one to notify about your turn.
This would apply in other situations as
well such as changing lanes. If there is no one around you either in
front, to the side, or behind you for some distance, there really is
no purpose of putting on the turn signal because there is no one to
inform that you will be changing lanes.
I might go as far as to say even if you
are in a left turn lane with a red arrow, you really don't need the
signal on the whole time because just being in the left turn lane
itself lets people know you are going to be turning left. It's a good
idea to have the signal on just to be safe, but in a situation like
this where there is only one direction to go and there is no
confusion as to which direction you are turning, I would argue that
it is not 100% necessary to have the signal on in a situation like
this.
Some people might disagree and say you
always have to use your turn signal no matter what because it is the
law, but personally I go by the purpose of the signal which is to
inform those around you of your actions. If there are drivers around
that need to know you are turning or changing lanes, then of course
it is necessary, but in other situations such as when there is no one
around to notify, there is just no reason to use the signal. Feel
free to comment below if you have an opinion on the use of turn
signals.
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