Wednesday, April 10, 2019

When should you use a turn signal while driving? Is it always necessary?

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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