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Turn Signals - do you use them?

Motokid

Motokid

New Member
Again, no devils advocate here. I'm straight up angry with a huge portion of drivers. I don't know about where you live, but here in America drivers have started NOT using there turn signals in epidemic proportions.

I think people who don't use them are lazy, dangerous, and have a superiority complex a mile high.

Not using your turn signal could potentially put your life in danger, the lives of the people who are riding in your car are in danger, and the people in the cars all around you are potentially in danger for their lives.

If you don't use your blinkers (turn indicators) are you lazy, or just so indifferent about the people around you that you could absolutely care less about how you could possibly effect their lives? What is so hard about flipping a lever? The automobile manufacturer makes it so the blinker turns off automatically. All you have to do is raise a finger, and lift or press that little lever. It's very, very simple.

So if any of you neglect to use your turn indicators when driving, could you please tell me why I shouldn't be hollaring obsenities at you from behind my windshield? Tell me why you are so much more important than I am that you can drive as you please and not care about my safety.

Anybody care to fill me in? Should this just post be moved to the "rant" thread? Are blinkers regularly used in Europe, Canada, Australia, India and/or wherever?
 
I was wondering what you meant for a moment, I've never heard them called Blinkers before :p (or even turn signals for that matter)

That aside, I am in complete agreement with you. What is so hard about pressing the indicator? If you are completely alone on the road at some unearthly hour of the morning then maybe fine, but at all other times it's common courtesy to (let alone the fact it could be potentially dangerous not to) use them.
 
I always use my blinker and I think people who don't are assh*les who should have their lisenses revoked. I'm a Massachusetts driver, so I don't yell obscenities. I lean on my horn, flash my lights, flip them off out the window (or sunroof if available) AND yell obscenities. I might also tailgate them with my high beams on for a few hundred yards if I end up behind them after the offending blinkerless turn. The only thing that is a bummer is when this happens to me at work, because I have to be all gentlewomanly and not make a scene out of it.

I think this is entirely worthy of it's entire thread.
 
Ice said:
I was wondering what you meant for a moment, I've never heard them called Blinkers before :p (or even turn signals for that matter)

That aside, I am in complete agreement with you. What is so hard about pressing the indicator? If you are completely alone on the road at some unearthly hour of the morning then maybe fine, but at all other times it's common courtesy to (let alone the fact it could be potentially dangerous not to) use them.
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we call them blinker all the time, but i didn't knwo that other people do that too. and because you asked if people use them in europe, canada..., i can't speak for all, but in germany almost everybody uses them, but here in the US nobody really does... oh and by the way, i agree, these people are lazy, i mean i can see if they forget it once, but when you drive behind them and every turn they don't do it, it's something where you have the right to be pissed of.

But the worst, i think, are the people on the highway, who jump in the lines as if they own the road... AND ALL THAT WITHOUT SIGNAL!!!! :mad:
 
honeydevil said:
But the worst, i think, are the people on the highway, who jump in the lines as if they own the road... AND ALL THAT WITHOUT SIGNAL!!!! :mad:
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Especially when you have your own turn signal on so that you can change lanes but they, in their selfish, self-absorbed world think that even though it's FAR easier for them to look out their windshield and see what's happening in front of them, think the people in front should have to watch out for them instead.

I also hate when people turn their signal on until they are where they are going to turn - and then just as then turn on their signal they come almost to a stop. I'd like a wee bit more notice so that I don't slam into them if the roads are wet or icy. :mad:

I'm the driver that everyone hates because I keep two car lengths between myself and the car in front of me unless I'm in stop and go city traffic.
 
I always use indicators. I agree with you Moto. Many people don't bother to turn on their indicators while taking a turn and worse - they don't know they are putting their lives in danger.


If you think driving in your contry is bad, visit India once - especially Bangalore.
There is no sense of lanes, no sense of traffic rules whatsoever! People change lanes like they change their clothes! They will be going straight on the road and suddenly decide to take a turn!!! And the person behind keeps wondering what happened!

Never ever try driving on Bangalore roads! And I am writing this after driving on these roads for one hour!
 
Lights are good. People don't use them. Lights are no good.

Too bad in America there is a concept of speeding on good open highways. I mean its understandable not to take turns at 120mph but on straightaways its perfectly fine to go 140-160mph without any real risk provided that your tires and your car can handle it "safely".
 
You know for all the danger not using them could cause, I feel defensive enough in my driving to anticipate that.

What pisses me off most is if I am waiting to turn out of a parking lot or a side street into a tight, traffic laden road, and some dick whose going to turn in and give me an opening doesn't alert me to that fact by using thier blinker!

My other big problem is thus: some people use a blinker like it's a magic sheild instead of just an aid to communicate with other drivers. You know, the ones who turn it on to change lanes, but just seem to assume having turned it on means a space will instantly appear for them as they immediatley start to drift to the left or the right.

Anyway, you don't have to yell or flip me off or anything, I use mine properly and well.
 
Ha. Maybe you don't know how to use a blinker. You should turn the blinker on and let it sit making the person behind you go nuts. Or you should use the blinker on a cop to tell them to pull over and stop and you floor it. :) Or perhaps use the Emergency lights and then assume traffic will clear for you on both sides of the road magically so you can swag left or right without problems.

BTW, while I was in Marietta, Georgia, USA I came back from Wendy's with friends. I am in the backseat and I hear shirens, cop, so my friend pulled to the right, a car darts in front on him. Him and I thought the Ford Focus that just nearly missed us was going to go ahead and stop in front to clear the way for the incoming cop to have the left lane open... But then suddenly the Cop car nails the Focus and fishtails him... The Focus goes and flips over the Mediam and slams into the opposing traffic (there was a huge traffic hold up anyways so the lanes on the opposite side were packed). Some guy in a black Lexus and some other lady got nailed although not much more than a stratch to their cars. The Focus I though flipped end over end. The cop gets out from his car has he drives onto the mediam and pulls out his glock, seconds later a few more cops pull out with pistols drawn. Four African-Americans in the car with their hands up in the air and we drove on by slowly passing the scene... Later we speculated that they had either jacked the car or robbed a store since people said they were darting out of a shopping center. I myself believe their were high as hell and loaded on some LSD or something. :| No shots fired, boo hoo.
 
Let me tell you something. Tasmania was actually found to have the worst drivers in Australia. Thank gawd I live here! They weave between lanes without indicating, they can't merge, they drive well below the speed limit in the passing lane (right lane here), etc. They buy 4WDs for no reason! A 3 year old was hit and killed here by a 4WD. Driver says "I didn;t see her". Of course not idiot. Whew... she was there to pick her ONE child up from school. Tasmanian drivers scare the crap out of me!
 
Oh forgot to say, most cars here would have a great resale value if you note the fact that the indicators were rarely used...
 
I heard a longhaul trucker say once that they would like to see 8 or 9 blinks before a lane change, so that's my rule of thumb on the highway. But I have to say driving through Westchester is frightening. Most people pass on the left (!) because they (erroneously) think they have less chance of getting flagged by a smokey, they dodge and weave constantly and aggressively, and never signal. I only drive down there when I'm going to Manhattan, but even Manhattan is tame by comparison. NY taxi drivers are at least predictable once you get to know their standard moves.
 
novella said:
Most people pass on the left (!) because they (erroneously) think they have less chance of getting flagged by a smokey
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The left hand lane is the "passing lane" it's where passing type folk belong. At least here and, I would assume, also in New York...no?

BTW. What is a smokey? Is that a state trooper or something?
 
People who don't use turn signals drive me as batty as those who drive with them left on for no reason!!! If I could, I'd love to stop a person in a brand new car, who turned without signalling and tell him, "dude, something's wrong with that brand new shiny car you've got." He'd reply, "oh, yeah? like what?" , then I'd say, "the turn signals don't work!"

yeah, this isn't a perfect world, and I'll never get the chance to do that :rolleyes:

*dripping with sarcasm* Don't you guys know that turn signals are on all cars for everyone else to tell that self-absorbed driver when you are turning, not for them to tell you they are turning. Sheesh, get with the program, people! The world revolves around assholes, don't you know? *sarcasm over * :D :D
 
mehastings said:
The left hand lane is the "passing lane" it's where passing type folk belong. At least here and, I would assume, also in New York...no?

BTW. What is a smokey? Is that a state trooper or something?
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I heard recently, though I don't recall the details, that someone was trying to pass a law in some state to prohibit drivers from using the left lane for anything but passing. The left lane is known as the passing lane, while the right is known as the slow lane, at least here. People that drive the maximum (and over) are encouraged to use the left while slower drivers are encouraged to use the right. I would go nuts if I had to weave in and out to pass all the slow drivers (people that like to go 45 or 50 in a 55).

Smokey's are state troopers - I learned that from "Smokey and the Bandit".
 
Just yesterday I had three near-misses. One was someone coming from the opposite direction who turned in front of me; the second was someone who pulled to the curb and as I was about to proceed, suddenly decided to pull back into the lane and then turn into a parking lot. The third was someone in front of me who didn't use his turn signal. Thankfully, no one who was parked at the curb opened their doors in front of me yesterday, because in the mood I was in, I might have clipped the door off just to teach him a lesson. WHY do people parked at curbs open their doors without checking to see if anyone's coming???? :mad:

I think that the problem is, common courtesy is not being taught. Sure, anyone with half a brain can pass the driving test and get a license, but they don't include unwritten rules in the test. :(
 
Renee said:
I'm the driver that everyone hates because I keep two car lengths between myself and the car in front of me unless I'm in stop and go city traffic.
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I am the same way, when I was 16 I rear ended a pick-up truck (2 weeks after getting my license of course) and tore up the whole front end of my car. And now I am totally afraid of going near the bumper of a car. And so I like to keep a distance between me and the car in front of me, and it makes me so mad when someone cuts into that space because that unnerves me even more, and I end up backing off of them and the whole process keeps repeating itself. Go figure!

If I'm in a turn lane, I don't use turn signals, if I'm on the highway with no one around, I don't use turn signals (of course there is that lame Illinois law of no driving in the left lane, it's only used for passing), any other time I always, always use them because those people that don't use the turn signals get on my nerves because you never know where they're going, if they're having car troubles, or what's going on because they're slowing down. And it's even worse when you're at a stop sign and they arrive first, but have no turn signal on so you decide to go because you're both going to be going at the same time anyway and then halfway through the intersection they decide to turn on their signal and make the turn...yeah, that's obnoxious. And what's the most aggravating is when you're trying to turn with traffic coming from both ways but you can go one way and not the other because of a car, but if they had had on their turn signal you could have pulled out in front of them and not had to wait. I get angry a lot when I'm on the road, and I tend to yell obscenities out my window, although it really does no good, but it makes me feel better :)
 
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