RANT ABOUT TURN SIGNALS
Of course turn signals are essential for changing lanes. Theoretically, the cars in the other lane will see the signal, and slow down allowing the car into the new lane. However in many intersections, lanes can be used to either go straight or to turn, and not signaling and then turning can cause lots of frustration (not to mention screaming of unmentionable words) to other drivers.
When pulling into an intersection, I may have a choice of two lanes, and knowing that the car in the left lane is turning left, can really influence my decision on lane selection. If I think that left lane guy is going straight, I might pull behind him. When the light changes, and left lane guy then yields to oncoming traffic, I’m then stuck waiting behind him. How hard would it be to flick that little stick on the side of the steering wheel, and help a fellow driver out.
Every state tends to think that they have the worst drivers, however, this signaling problem is a national thing. It might be international too, but judging from my time overseas, I’m not quite sure that foreign cars actually come with a turn signal.
Now I’m not perfect, as many of us, I forget every once in a while, or I’m lost and realize at the last second that I’m supposed to turn, but can the rest of the country be lost all the time?
One can usually tell if the person in front of them doesn’t know where they’re going. They usually drive slower than the speed limit, and if it’s daytime you can often see them leaning from side to side trying to look at the store fronts, street names or numbers to figure out where they are. I’m not mad at these people, this could be any one of us at one time or another. It’s the people who drive as if the rest of the world needs to get out of their way.
If we all just think of the other driver once in a while, instead of ourselves, it will make our roads a much safer and happier place. Then, instead of saying that our state has the worst drivers, we can start bragging about how our state has some of the best ones.