I don't know who needs to hear this (that's a lie: ~80% of drivers) but when you're in a turn lane or an exit only lane, you should still signal to confirm to those around you that you are aware of the lane you're in and where it's about to go.
@TechConnectify my dad used to pull into the intersection, wait right until the last minute, then flick the turn light on and turn simultaneously. He liked to keep people on their toes
I frequently don't do redundant or pointless (with no one around) turn signals when on a bike, any signal means major loss of maneuverable and left signal is a loss of ~75 % of brake power.
However in a car, most of the signals mean just extending of a little finger and a signal to exit roundabout releasing one hand of steering wheel – turn signals are here essentially free...
I'm also damned tired of those who won't LOOK TO THEIR LEFT when in a right turn lane at an intersection facing a red light to make sure there isn't a pedestrian crossing the street. I'm tired of flipping them off when they just roll on through. (Or LOOK TO THEIR RIGHT when turning left at an intersection without a green left turn signal, but hey, do it anyway even if the light's green ok?)
@TechConnectify@caseyliss I’d be in favor of mandatory road and written tests every 3-5 years - just like when you got your license - to continue to have a license.
You’re controlling a multi-thousand pound weapon. You should know how to do so safely. *and stop being “polite” and letting someone go when it’s not their turn. Don’t be polite - be consistent with the law.
@TechConnectify yes to that. Also when turning into a four lane road, you turn into the lane closest to you then signal a lane change if you need in the far lane. You don’t swing wide across all lanes all at once and piss off every other motorist around you.
@TechConnectify I spent a week in Jamaica recently, and it's honestly terrifying how they drive. You have tiny cars on tiny roads full of monster potholes; people are walking in the street because there are no sidewalks in some places; people will pass at any time, while they turn, with pedestrians nearby, whenever; and nobody gives any space to anybody, whether they're in cars, on motorcycles, or pedestrians. (1/2)
@TechConnectify Americans also don’t know how to use the turn indicator in a traffic circle. Or so I assume because I have never seen anyone here indicate anything on circles. Ever.
I’m always afraid they’re going to misinterpret me when I signal left when entering the circle…
@CrisLuengo In fairness, I simply do not understand how signaling that you're entering a traffic circle is helpful. Any car at the entry points WILL enter, they have no choice.
@TechConnectify@CrisLuengo signalling left when entering (in a right hand traffic/left hand driver's side country) indicates that you're not taking the straight ahead or the first exits, so that people know you're going to take most of or a full circle
@TechConnectify@CrisLuengo (similarly, signalling right when entering tells people you're taking the first exit, so people entering there know they can enter and don't have to wait for you)
@bhtooefr@CrisLuengo I have effectively zero faith that Americans, who barely understand roundabouts in the first place, could manage this and I'm certain this is not taught.
@TechConnectify I'd settle for someone turning their turn signal on at least 0.25 seconds before starting to change lanes, instead of turning them on after their tires have crossed the dashed line.
@TechConnectify Agree, especially because the other people around you might not even know you're in a turn/exit lane. If the designation is only painted arrows on the lane, they won't necessarily see the lane markings due to, oh, I don't know, cars being positioned on top of them? More information is better!
@TechConnectify in some european countries - as long there are signs on the part of the road you are on pointing a direction - you have to turn on the signals on. But most people don't know/care etc. :)
If a new lane appears which you have to enter in order to exit, once there I consider that "on the ramp" - your choice to move into it is clear enough.
I'm mainly talking about lanes which become exit-only up ahead.
To describe this more generally, if there's a situation where an inattentive driver could find themselves on a path they don't mean to take, then if you, the attentive driver, intend to take that path - signal to confirm this.
@TechConnectify even for the new lane thing...occasionally I'll see people using those as passing lanes, so it's nice to have the clarification of a signal regardless...
I'd also like to add that if you're already slowing down by the time you activate the signal it kinda defeats the purpose because I've already guessed that you're probably turning...
@wonka@TechConnectify@admin Varies by US state, but e.g. in Washington passing on the right is advised against, but not technically illegal. What IS illegal is loitering in the left lanes. Which means that if you CAN pass on the right, the other person is breaking the law!
This law is almost universally unknown, and never enforced. Which drives me nuts.
@TomF I was on a road trip through Washington about a year ago, and there were some signs on two-lane country roads explaining this but with the most confusing verbiage I could imagine. It took reading three of them for me to parse!
(edit: well, not specifically this but something about slow vehicles must use pull-offs if they're causing a blockage)
@TechConnectify I know two sections of highway where it's pretty common, one in RI (near where I live now) and one in PA (kinda near where I grew up). Basically you get an exit lane that opens up shortly after the higway expands from two lanes to three. So people who aren't paying enough attention assume it's just going from two to three to four, jump over into the new lane, then have to jump back when they realize it's exit only.
@TechConnectify
Have an issue with a exchange near me, a 3 lane road splits into 2 2-lane roads.
From the center lane, if taking the right fork, you mostly just go straight ahead.
I want to signal which direction i intend to take, but signaling right seems more likely to make it seem like I want to change lanes...
I think they should have split the lanes earlier, to reduce such confusion....
@TechConnectify I tend to feel this about forced turns in city centres — you can see the sign saying you can't go straight on unless you're a bus or a cyclist, but there's no reason to assume everyone else knows about it. A cyclist coming down that road shouldn't have to infer that you're about to turn in front of them.
@TechConnectify Pushing the habit of using indicators when maneuvering can create muscle memory where it almost always happens, even with the whole "new lane appearing" turn lane situation. In some jurisdictions, even signaling in these is required by law.
It's muscle memory to me, so I don't even think about it, it just happens. And I find it weird that people fight against this.
@TechConnectify If you use turn signals, people are going to know what you've got planned. As a former Boston driver, I can tell you this is often seen as unwise, or at least naïve.
Honestly surprised how many people don't see this as the main purpose of blinker etiquette
The amount of people who start blinking while they're already halfway through switch lanes absolutely baffle me. I've actually asked someone who does that (my dad) about it before, and they swear it's the rule to only blink once you're actually switching lanes. But like, that makes no sense, look around, start blinking to signal the move you're about to do, and then move.
It's so useless to start blinking when you're already with one wheel in the other lane lol
@TechConnectify What do you mean "a miracle", USA is worse than Russia, it's not even in the same league as developed countries. It's unreal how bad it is 😭
@TechConnectify yes!! especially on roundabouts with an exit-only lane please still signal I cannot read the road markings from all the way over here!!
@TechConnectify One of my big culture shocks moving to the US was these right lanes that suddenly become off-ramps. I can't say with 100% certainty they didn't exist but at least were very rare in Belgium. If you were in an unfamiliar place, you'd be pretty safe just staying in the right lane. Here in the US, you can never be safe in the right lane as it may get you off the highway at any time. Hence everyone hanging out in the middle and left lanes... 🙄
@TechConnectify I'm trying to think of if I do this or not and if not why and honestly, where I live in NJ, a lot of exit-only lanes end very shortly in a fork.
Like when I go to work it's exit only into a T-junction, and I turn left.
We're talking less than 50 yards between exit and fork - it's the dense NYC metro part of the state and we don't have room for ramps or acceleration/deceleration lanes.
@TechConnectify I was taught not to signal if there was nobody who could be interested, if there was nobody who could conceivably want to do something different depending on whether or not I signalled.
@TechConnectify It's funny, many times I will be in an exit only lane, and have my directional on. It crosses my mind routinely whether I need it on, or not, but I leave it on because why not. I learned to drive over 40 years ago, and we were taught to always use turn signals.
@TechConnectify
And for those in Seattle, on a 2-3 lane street one does not sit and wait until all lanes are clear so as to move directly into the far left land simply because they need to make a left turn ½ mile down the road.