Somehow signaling turns has become optional in the U.S. This really bothers me for two very important reasons.

First, I frequently run into drivers stopped at the red light, in the left lane. Only when the light turns green do they magnanimously decide to signal, a fraction of a second before actually turning. This is incredibly frustrating when I’m the sucker stuck behind such a driver, unaware of the driver’s intention to turn left (and thus block the lane for an extended period of time as oncoming traffic passes).

Secondly — and this is more dangerous — this pervasive not signaling has set implicit expectations that other drivers have regarding other vehicles on the road. In some intersections (and there obviously is one right where I work), where most drivers turn left or right and don’t go straight, drivers from the oncoming lane turning left are very likely to assume you are also turning even if you aren’t signaling the turn, and thus fail to give you the right of way. If everyone always signaled, this would not be as common.

A few years ago I spoke to a colleague of mine who said he only signals his intention to change lanes on the highway if he deems it necessary. This is obviously flawed, as many times he can’t be the judge of what is necessary. It just surprises me that people cut corners so much on a motion that you can do without using up an extra hand, simply by moving your finger by half an inch. And if we compromise on that, why not compromise on other laws such as stop signs or driving in the lane?

This entry was posted on Monday, November 21st, 2011 at 18:05 and is filed under The Daily Badness. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.