I have a pet peeve, people that don’t signal. It is so frustrating to be driving in my lane when all of a sudden someone changes into the lane in front of me without signaling or while sitting behind someone at a stop light, they decide they are turning while I want to go straight leaving me waiting for them to turn when I would have been in the other lane had I known they were going to turn.
Failure to signal is a big danger to those around you and yourself. When someone fails to signal, they are basically saying F*** you to everyone around them and that you don’t matter. People who do not signal are endangering themselves and those around them by not allowing others to know what you are about to do. If you are going through an intersection and then all of a sudden slam on your brakes to make a turn without signaling, you are increasing the chances that someone behind you is going to slam into your back and cause a car accident.
People are not mind readers. When someone doesn’t signal, those around them only can assume one thing: you are going to continue straight and within your lane. Any deviation from your lane without signaling is against the law and can make you at fault for a rear end car accident if someone hits you.
Did you know that almost 10% of car accidents across the country are caused by failure to signal or lane changing accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that approximately 533,000, or 9% of all motor vehicle accidents, are lane changing and merging accidents. Additionally, 200 of these accidents result in fatalities.
The most common causes of merging or lane changing car accidents are:
- Improper look out
- Distracted driving including cell phone use, eating, and reading
- Driver fatigue
- Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Driving drowsy
- Low visibility due to weather including fog, rain, heavy rain and snow
How far in front of your turn must you signal? You must signal 100 feet at a minimum before your turn. The reason behind giving a signal is to let other know your intention so that they can make proper steps to slow down or move into another lane. It is to protect you and others. 100 feet traveled in a car
What’s the fine? $124 fine.