Do you use your blinker in a car?
I use it literally everywhere out of habit, I got made fun of for using it when pulling out of my moms driveway once lol
The only reason I won't possibly use it is when I'm in a turn only lane at a red light and don't want to listen to it for 3 minutes
Most people I find only use it 75% of the time at best.
I'm 2.5 years into driving and am curious if it's just what semi-new drivers do or if I'm the odd one out.
use. your. blinkers.
If you turn your wheel, use your blinker.
Unless you get a BMW. Then you buy the right not to use your blinkers.
I thought they made that a subscription now.
Always. Driveway? Blinkers. Parking? Blinkers. On an empty road with no one in sight? Believe it or not, blinkers.
It's a muscle memory. When you get used to using them, you just do. If you have exceptions, you might forget it when it matters.
100% the same. I never even think about it. It's just baked into my brain.
The only time I don't is leaving my driveway. We're corner house on a quiet cul-de-sac so it just doesn't occur to me.
People leaving roundabouts on the first exit who don't indicate before entering are the ones that annoy me most. They will watch me waiting to enter or slow down to stop as they approach and literally not lift a finger to help.
Roundabout = indicator you donkey. There's literally no legal way to use one without it (here anyway).
Oh god. I absolutely hate ppl who don't signal off roundabouts. I drive a car but also a motorbike, I've learned not to trust at roundabouts due to too many near misses. Fucking pillocks all of em.
My mom tried to tell me that when you turn left through an American roundabout, you enter and leave with your left blinker blinking.
I was a child the last time I had to sit quietly on such a big disagreement with her lol. I guess I’m lucky.
I always signal out of roundabouts, but never on. Legally I'm supposed to signal in but that makes no sense to me because of course I'm going to be entering the roundabout, there is never another option.
Sometimes when I’m turning a sharp normal turn in a parking lot or ramp, I’ll instinctively signal, even though there’s no need to.
I'm with you all the way to the final sentence.
Your indicator usage is linked to your mirror usage. If you use indicators in all situations regardless, what you might actually forget to do is look in your mirrors properly, which is more important.
Your first two mentions are fine examples. In the UK at least, using indicators when entering your driveway or a parking space isn't necessary if no other cars or pedestrians are approaching your car.
The people who made fun of you won't be laughing when they share 50% of the blame during the damage claim phase of an accident.
Yeah, it's a lot easier to just make it a habit and doing it everywhere instead of overthinking the context.
Yeah. Whoever made fun of you is an idiot.
I use it all the time and I judge people who don't.
Yes. Don't listen to people who tell you not to.
The indicator is for communicating your intent to change the position (which lane you're in) or direction (turning in or out of a road, parking space, etc.) of your car.
The safest thing you can do as a driver is to be PREDICTABLE to other drivers. The indicator communicates necessary information for other drivers to predict your actions.
Not using one when changing the position or direction of your car is inconsiderate and dangerous to other road users. It is also illegal.
Use them. Please.
Not just to drivers.
There's nothing more annoying as a pedestrian than a vehicle whose driver has seemingly decided to run into you because they 1) didn't think to use their signals and 2) mostly just checked for car traffic until you're right in front of their bumper.
Very much this.
I was hoping to imply that with the phrase "road users" but I wasn't explicit about it.
Cyclists too. If you can't keep a cyclist safe you shouldn't be allowed in a car.
Other drivers cannot read minds, so use the blinker.
Its why it's there in the first place.
Using it 75% of the time is harder than using it all the time, because it means you’re consciously thinking about it each time instead of doing it reflexively.
I used to try to use them 100%, but there are so many situations where it's completely unwarranted (in my specific driving circumstances). So I guess I default to using my indicators, but I try to use them the right way, i.e. before a lane change rather than after I've started to commit.
Also, I used to put on my indicator for a lane change nice and early, but dear god the way these cars warn about your blind spot being occupied, holy shit. Music turns down, loud beeping, it's madness.
...how else would people around me know what direction I'm about to move 2+ tons of metal???
I can't stand how often I see people changing lanes or taking turns with ZERO blinker usage. Selfish short sighted fucks.
Indicators?
Yes, only pillocks don't use their indicators. They're an essential method of communication between vehicles and for pedestrians, and an essential safety feature.
I cannot stress this enough, people who don't use their indicators are massive twats and shouldn't be on the road.
They're a danger to themselves and everybody around them.
I read this in a posh British accent.
Turn signals are not optional.
Use your blinker, return your cart to the corral, and mind your business
I'm sure I've missed it sometimes over the years, but if you make it a habit it's harder to forget or ignore
I remember a driving instructor asking me who I was indicating for when we were practising in a suburb. I couldn't see any other cars but figured that if one appeared they'd want to know my intentions and it would mean it was one less thing to think about.
I fired that instructor.
Always. Drive predictably it helps.
Predictability is so much more important than being nice. Just follow the rules.
Got my licence a bit over 2 years ago. I ALWAYS use the blinkers. You never know when there's some other participant in traffic that you don't notice for which the information of what I'm about to do is important.
It annoys me to no end that a lot of drivers here won't signal for lane changes or turn offs.
The "unknown participant" is a great term for it. I use it alone on my neighborhood turns, particularly at night, because I can't properly see around the turn. One of them is totally in darkness, situated between street lights. If there's a pedestrian crossing, I'd like to give them a little warning. One of my cars has stellar fog lights and gives ample sideways light though, so I recommend using them under 40mph for turns.
Over 10 years of driving here.
Of course I do. My goal while driving is to be predictable so I can minimize the chances of causing an accident.
Yeah man operating machinery is awesome. Doing it respectful and responsible way is extra satisfying. People really look down on cars but it's an awesome technology!
I get really annoyed when people don't use them. My psychic powers are terrible and I like to not have people suddenly change lanes in front of me or cut me off on the road.
Blinkers are not just for special occasions or discos!
Making funof someone for doing the responsible thing is childish and stupid.
As long as you are using them to indicate intent you are using them correctly. At worst you are being extra clear to drivers around you. If you don't use them though, at worst you are an unpredictable driver that might be involved in a crash.
Fuck the people that made fun of you.
P. S I use them any time I do something that isn't driving straight, i don't care if there are others around me, if it's a single lane, if it's obvious, etc. Every time I stray from a straight line I signal it.
It's actually easier to just use it every time. Deciding whether you need to is cognitive load that's better spent on other things.
This. It should be automatic, and you can't have perfect awareness to always know with 100% certainly if there is another vehicle or pedestrian around which may benefit from that information.
I use my blinker even when turning into my own driveway and the reason is simple:
The signal isn't for me. It's for others to know my intentions.
One major thing that makes driving with others safer is predictability and your blinkers can help with that.
I do this just for the habit of turning. I don't need to waste brain power trying to determine if I need to actually use it or not. It's just associated with turning.
Yes, I use them even if there is nobody around as it’s good to keep the habit. I’ve noticed not many people use them in say a right only lane, but my logic is pedestrians might not know and so you should use it there too.
UK.
I don't drive a BMW, so yes.
I have ridden BMW motorcycles for many years and made a point of using blinkers when needed. Cars have crumple zones; on a motorcycle, you are the crumple zone.
But yes, BMW cars are often driven by self-centered assholes.
I don't drive a BMW, so yes.
Only assholes don't use their blinkers. Anyone making fun of you for using yours is a selfish turd.
I use them 100% of the time. Which yes, includes my own driveway.
You should train yourself to use them automatically instead of a manual step. Like a reflex.
And if you're at a light and you plan to turn, you have that blinker going. Even if it's a long red light, even if you think no one is around.
I don't drive a BMW, so yes, I do use my blinker.
I was just talking about this with a friend. I think bmw drivers driving like douches is maybe the most accurate stereotype I know. It is shocking how often I see a car driving like an asshole and it ends up being a bmw.
Most stereotypes are hilariously inaccurate but that one seems pretty legit lol
I mean, we don't really notice the BMW drivers who are acting sensibly, and it's probably the vast majority. But that being said, outside Germany they attract a certain enthusiast demographic that will include a statistically relevant minority who think every trip outside the neighborhood is Gran Turismo.
Even when I’m a pedestrian I fucking hate anyone who doesn’t use a turn signal. Usually I’ll yield to cars because they’re faster, and as an impatient person myself I wonder who’d want to wait six years for someone to walk across whatever but I can’t do that when the idiots don’t use their turn signal.
It's worse when you're a pedestrian. If you swerve towards me and expect me to get out of your way you kinda have to tell me where you're going. But if you walk a lot you get better at judging intentions by the changing speed of the car and distrasting blinkers.
I’ve only been driving for 33 years, but I try to signal every turn.
Because the signals are for those situations where you don’t see something you should have AND those situations where someone else didn’t see something they should have.
Takes a flick of the pinky to do something that could save you thousands of dollars and wasted time, or even save someone’s life. So why not do it?
Only sickos don't use their blinkers
Its the only way you can signal your intentions. Being predictable is the best way to ensure the safety of yourself and others on the road. Combine these two and its a no brainer. Always use them.
Yes, I use it. Over a million miles and nearly 40 years driving.
Fuck the haters, use that thing.
That's a lot of driving
Yeah. 35k miles some years
It’s better to use your blinkers all the time than 90% of the time.
Mirror, signal, manoeuvre. This is the way.
You forgot the part where you turn your damned head and look beside you.
Please tell me that's just an oversight, and you're not one of those.
Do I still count even if I have an ultrawide mini mirror?
Yes. You're supposed to use it anytime you're about to turn or change lanes, including if you're sitting in a turn lane at a red light or backing out of a drive way or parking spot.
Not doing so makes you a road hazard.
In the Netherlands you don't need to signal when you pull back in after overtaking in the middle lane.
That's not true. You need to signal when changing lanes. Going back after overtaking constitutes changing lanes.
[Artikel 55 Reglement verkeersregels en verkeerstekens 1990] (https://wetten.overheid.nl/jci1.3:c:BWBR0004825&hoofdstuk=II¶graaf=24&artikel=55&z=2024-07-01&g=2024-07-01)
Can you pull back in the right lane if there is an entry and incoming car?
That’s fair though if it’s a keep right situation as it’d be fair to expect you to move in as soon as you safely can.
Sure. It's better to develop this habit and use them automatically, without thinking. Sometimes there are no cars around, but pedestrians want to know your intentions too. And even if you don't see anyone, it doesn't mean there's nobody around.
Sometimes when I'm feeling adventurous, I will change lanes without using a turn signal (only when I am 99% sure there is no one around). For the other 99% of the time when I am feeling non adventurous, I will use my turn signals.
What kind of person shits on another for using a turn signal? My guess is it is someone who forgets to use it frequently.
It was out of his moms driveway lol I would have made a joking comment too. I use my blinker basically everywhere but I guess there could be more traffic by his moms driveway. 😉
Yes. I always use them. I hate when people don't. Oh, so you needed to come over? I would have slowed down if you told me. What are you slowing down for? Move- Oh. You're turning. Wish I would have known that. Dang, I need to pull out and make this turn. Let me wait until that car passes... Oh, they're turning.
It's such a small thing that makes driving safer for you and the people around you.
Currently I'm staying in Thailand the road culture here is fascinating. There are very few actual rules that people follow but its all about speed and projecting what are you doing so signals and everything is a big part of road culture here despite many drivers don't really knowing road theory.
For example if you drive up a curvy mountain road you horn on the turn slowly to project that you're driving there.
It works.
That's so incredibly thoughtful. If you honk at the wrong person in the US, you might end up on a Tshirt.
Yup. All the time. There's a road I drive several times a week that turns left. No intersection, it just makes a 90deg turn. I use it there out of habbit.
Yes. You're moving heavy objects with meat in them very fast. You should always clearly indicate your intentions.
It's normal to use it pulling out of a driveway and in parking lots, don't worry about peer pressure and other people's bad habit
Yeah; because I don't want someone to end up hitting me if I turn unexpectedly. I want them to expect it. I mean, I don't wanna be hit either way but you know what I mean.
Always, because I’m not a lazy git or self-centered arsehole.
Always use the blinker. Remember it's not a request, it's a warning. The only time you might not is if you have to make a sudden emergency swerve and don't have time and need both hands on the wheel. In this case, survival should be immediately followed by an apology wave.
When changing lanes in fast traffic, using the blinker will usually cause the car next to you to speed up. This is a feature, not a bug, as it opens a space behind them into which you can stick the nose of your car, ahead of the guy following them.
Adding in: if you routinely drive with your lights on, you will find that little extra visibility makes people slightly less likely to cut you off or more likely to let you in. Sometimes they don't mean to be assholes, they're just distracted, and being more visible helps. If you consider that "dingdingding" a reminder to lock it, it will turn off the lights and be safe.
it's not a request, it's a warning.
This way of thinking comes across as a devil-may-care attitude, and a threat, even, whenever I see it. "Warning, I'll do what I want. Stay out of my way!"
A turn signal doesn't give someone permission to make an unsafe maneuver because they "warned" others. Your actions on the road should never be dangerous. Rather it's an indication to others of your intentions, so that other people can act accordingly. Maybe it lets someone turn onto a road from an intersection ahead of you because you're going to turn in. Maybe someone in the lane next to you will leave you space in front or behind them. Maybe the driver behind you will slow down instead of trying to pass, because they know you're about to leave the lane. It does not give you undue permission to change lanes right in front of somebody who will have to brake to avoid a collision.
It's not the first time I've seen "warning" used so I wonder if this is part of driver's Ed somewhere, but it has always seemed like a dangerous way of approaching turn signals.
You're right of course. You should drive defensively at all times, and with courtesy, remembering the humans around you. But it's also dangerous and confusing to others if you don't take the right of way when it's yours. Or if you signal a move and then don't do it. As with my example of lane changing, you can anticipate another driver not making it easy and use that to find your spot. You shouldn't try to zoom ahead and cut them off, and you shouldn't even be starting to signal if there's not room. But soon after you start blinking, your car should at least indicate what you're doing by changing position within your own lane, and then you should finish the move as soon as it's safe.
You should also realize that the other person's signals need to be treated as a warning. Even if the car and its driver look small and easily intimidated, you should allow them the space to make their move. Too many drivers don't.
I'm going to add, if you see someone do something incredibly stupid, assume their GPS just gave them an impossible direction. Or their kid is kidnapped and they are hurrying to the ransom drop. Or whatever it takes for you to let go of your frustration and just add it into the day's tally of crazy driving rather than getting angry.
I use mine so often that sometimes I accidentally turn them on in sharp curves.
Always always signal your intention. I heard a woman complaining that her new car had lane control, which forced her to indicate when changing lanes. "It's so annoying, I mean it's obvious I'm overtaking, I don't need to indicate!"
Also, as a frequent pedestrian I appreciate when drivers and cyclists indicate and judge heavily when they don't. So frustrating to be waiting to cross the road and someone turns without indicating.
I get mad at myself if I don't turn it on early enough. As I. If I go to change lanes and it only flashes once it really isn't enough notice for other drivers so I usually bitch at myself.
I may be the only person you meet who road rages against himself.
I've never understood how a simple hand motion can be beyond anyone's skillset. It's just part of driving.
Yes, and I really wish cops would aggressive ticket every motherfucker who doesn't. ESPECIALLY the fucking morons who switch lanes without them, but when they're in the turning lane with literal no other option, THEN they fucking find their blinker.
Like hello fuckwit, I'm not a damn psychic, but thank you so fucking much for using that blinker in the least important place of everywhere your dumb ass drove.
There is 0 scenario where a blinker should be used that I won't use it, and fuck anybody who doesn't use theirs. If you can't handle the simple act of flicking a stick with your finger, you sure as fuck shouldn't be able to operate a land torpedo.
Yes, of course.
I always do. Feels wrong not to. Just get in the habit of ALWAYS using them and it becomes a no-brainer. It's just a good habit to have.
I use it to pull into my driveway because it's immediately after a sharp blind turn and I'd rather not get shoved into my own mailbox.
I've used it in to turn into my driveway when there are other cars around because some of my neighbors and most of the delivery drivers drive like total dicks and can't seem to figure out why someone would slow down in a neighborhood.
I got made fun of for using it when pulling out of my moms driveway once lol
I believe the socially acceptable retort is "if you don't like my driving, you can get the hell out of the car. If you're staying, you can shut up"
Until humans invent mind reading and we can all do it easily without a moment's hesitation, I will be using my turning indicator. Only idiots make fun of signalling.
...i always use my signals to unambiguously communicate intent; the only time i've been embarrassed is after carrying that habit onto the track, but it's tough to break...
...my wife uses her signals to ask permission, which i feel can cause confusion, but she feels the same way about me...