One of the ways you could find yourself pulled over by the police is if you don’t use your car’s blinkers the way that you should. You need to use a blinker in a number of situations, such as if you intend to merge into a lane on the right or left, need to make a turn or intent to pull in front of another vehicle that has stopped and is waiting for you to enter the lane.
If you don’t use your blinkers, you could be putting other people at risk of harm. You’ll also be increasing the risk of getting into an accident that causes damage to your vehicle or leaves you with injuries.
Not everyone signals, but they should
Not everyone signals when they plan to make a turn or maneuver, but they should. When you use a blinker, you’re letting others know that you are planning to move out of your current position. If you don’t do this, someone could end up driving into your path, which could then lead to a collision as you try to turn or change lanes.
When signaling, it’s important to signal far enough in advance that others recognize your intention to move but not so far in advance that they think it was a mistake. For example, if you plan to make a right turn at a stop sign, turn on the signal around three to four seconds before reaching the turn. Then, come to a full stop before making your turn.
Giving other drivers a few seconds to recognize that you’re slowing down and turning is necessary to prevent rear-end collisions. You should also give notice of other movements, such as if you plan to merge, but turning on the signal and waiting for a clear path to move into another lane.
Turn signals are an essential part of staying safe on the road and avoiding tickets for traffic violations. Even if you haven’t used them in the past, you should use them moving forward. It only takes a second to turn them on, and they could help prevent a serious collision.
