Driving: Using your turn signals.

[Pariah87]

I'm mostly with the pro-indication group on this one. The only times I don't are when I'm alone on a road (with no pedestrians/cyclists around either) or when I'm at a junction and I'm in the lane that can only turn left/right.

Sure you could say it's retarded not to use them in those lanes but fuck me, the direction of the lanes is marked very clearly on the roads, and is signposted pretty damn clearly aswell. If someone thinks I'm going to be going straight on when I'm in a right hand turn only lane then I would suggest that they are infact the idiots?

You Americans should think yourselves lucky you don't have to deal with many roundabouts. They are without a doubt the most important place to indicate correctly. For those that don't know (I shall explain it the British way, driving on the left, giving way to the right.) If you enter a roundabout indicating left you are showing you are going to take the first exit. If you do not indicate at all you are going to be taking the second/opposite exit to the one you entered from. You should then indicate left after you have passed the first exit to again show you are exiting at what will be the next left turn/exit. If you are entering a roundabout indicating right then you are showing you will be taking at least the third exit. Continue round untill you pass the exit BEFORE the one you will be taking, at which point indicate left to show you will be leaving at the next exit.

If you don't indicate correctly you cause major problems for those wanting to enter the roundabout, it can be a bloody mess.

 

[Dragonborne88]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ibs6gyABz8&feature=related

Felt this was appropriately fitting. And, this is my greatest pet peeve in the world while driving. I use my blinkers even when I'm the only one on the road out of habit, and for pedestrians to see if I'm turning. Guess what? Pedestrians are 10x smarter about crossing when they see you have a turn signal.

A close second are the damn people who don't check their blind spot before changing lanes. Come on guys, it's a quick look over your shoulder and you don't smash into people anymore.

 

[Inconnu24]

I will use my turn signal in cities, on highways, in anything more than sparse traffic, and just generally when other cars are near enough that they need to know my intentions. If I am on a road alone or if the other vehicles are far enough away that whatever lane changes or turns I make won't affect them, I don't signal. That said, I live in an area that is the border between suburban and rural. I spend most of my time on two- and four-lane roads with few sidewalks, fewer pedestrians, and no roundabouts, so the idea that I should signal for everything seems a little overboard to me.

 

[Cazza]

I hate how people don't know how to indicate correctly at roundabouts. If you find indicating is hard your driving wrong.

 

[thylasos]

People who don't indicate are irresponsible morons. Thankfully I'm absolved from this due to not owning any form of motorised transport, or even a bicycle, on which I would also feel duty-bound to indicate.

 

[Irriduccibilli]

I use my turn signals everytime I have to, its the law. I havent had any accidents yet, but keep in mind that I just got my drivers licence for 7 months now (you have to be 18 to get a drivers licence in Denmark), and I dont even have a car yet, but i'm going to look at one this weekend.
To answer your question... again, I have always, and will always use my turn signals whenever I have to

 

[scorptatious]

Where I live, people are very bad with using their turn signals. I'm currently learning how to drive, and considering the kind of person my dad is about driving, he'll probably make sure to impound the fact that I need to use turn signals into my head.

 

[tigermilk]

To anyone who can mind read kudos, I can't so use your fucking indicators. Yes it was me who scratched your car after I had to break abruptly on my bike as you clearly thought the law/common sense does not apply to you.

EDIT: The only excuse for not seeing me (which means you shouldn't be driving) is that I had a high visibility jacket on, but not my lights as it was the middle of the day.

EDIT 2: A big fuck you to everyone on this thread/in general who thinks there are special rules/times where they don't have to bother.

 

[CCountZero]

I always use my turn signals, except for when I am alone in traffic.

Really though, you should use them at all times, period.

Accidents usually happen because any number of parties involved didn't have perfect oversight and control over the situation.

As such, an accident may very well happen because you failed to use your indicators, because you were under the wrongful impression that you were alone on the road.

 

[CCountZero]

Snip

Except there's a chance, however small, that you might not be fully aware of your surroundings.

And then there's the question of habits. The more of a solid habit you make of indicating, the more you'll be able to concentrate on other parts of driving.

 

[SilentCom]

I pretty much always use my turn signals. It sort of annoys me when a driver pulls in front of me without signalling. Sometimes it's also dangerous.

 

[Agayek]

I've made it a point to habitualize using my turn signals. Occasionally I'll slip up and forget, but the vast majority of the time I just do it, regardless of outside circumstances.

 

[Irridium]

In Vermont, very few people use their turn signals.

It is fucking infuriating.

If you don't use your turn signal, I hope you get attacked by a badger.

 

[blind_dead_mcjones]

I especially don't like huge American pickups on the European roads, combined with red back lights that are used both for stopping as for turning (blinking lights)

I wonder in which countries cars do (or do not) have separate ORANGE bliking lights for turning

hardly any car manufacturer uses orange covers for indicators these days, its usually an orange bulb with a frosted clear or reddish lense cover on the basis of asthetics, which is beyond irritaing as you get some instances where due to the angle of the car and/or light conditions its damn near impossible to see if they're indicating or not (this issue also happens when the indicators are put on the inside of the headlamps, especially at night, when you get the bonus of being blinded by said headlamps)

 

[Max_imus]

As an EMT-B (or the German equivalent, aynways) I ask everyone, please, always, always use them. Scraping people off the road/ out of their cars is something no one should have to do.

 

[Nemesis729]

I always use mine, even when it's more a curve than a turn lol, Theres really nothing that pisses me off more than when the guy in front of me turns without the signal, like how hard is it really?

 

[KorLeonis]

Since the purpose of the turn signal is to let others know what you are about to do, I use them only when relevant. If they can't seem em, or if what I'm about to do won't affect them, then I see no reason to use the things.

 

[Wintermoot]

I use them (well actually it,s more of sticking my hand out in the direction I want to go on the bike).
I,ts annoying when I don,t know what direction other road users want to go.

 

[Wolfram23]

I use them about 95% of the time. I dislike when drivers decide to change lanes without using them, but I really really really HAAAAATTTEEEE when drivers wait and wait and then turn it on as they make their turn. FUCK YOU, YOU STUPID FUCKING ASSHOLE! It pisses me off so much because more often than not, I notice it because I'm trying to turn and they have the right of way. Like, getting out of a parking lot and some ass is coming so I wait, and then what do you know suddenly he slows down and turns into the lot. I could have gone but now I have to wait as the 15 cars behind him go by. Fucking shit head.

I hate it slightly less, but the people that have their turn signals on when going straight is nearly as bad. I almost turned left in front of a truck because of this, but I thought it strange how he wasn't slowing... Stupid ass.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

It's a problem and I regularly see people not using them when I'm crossing a street (that and not using the correct lane at roundabouts). Though I think a bigger problem for road users are people not checking their mirrors and blind spot, or just checking their wing mirror and not the blind spot and promptly killing a cyclist.