No Stupid Questions

I felt dumb using it at a roundabout because nobody does there, then I looked it up and found it's something you're supposed to do. No harm in over communicating when you're in control of a few thousands pounds of metal.

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.

It's always good to communicate on the road, the more information the better. I'm not sure why anyone would give you a hard time about this, unless they're insecure (about what, I couldn't analyze). Signals tell everyone around you what you're about to do. Keep up the good work.

Only assholes don't use their blinkers. Anyone making fun of you for using yours is a selfish turd.

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.

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.

as a pedestrian i have to say that i never use my blinker.

joke aside, there's not much that aggravates me more than drivers not using their signals when they can turn either left or right, but cannot continue forward, like near the street i live in that i frequently have to cross. since they HAVE to turn, i have to wait for them to either remember that they have turn signals, or wait until they have enlightened me about their decision by making them a fact.

don't be an ass, use your turn signals to make your intentions known for the weaker parties on the road.

Yes. Because people are horrible drivers and I want them to know what I'm up to. At least one of us can be informed about the other...

The only time I don't is when there is no one behind me and I'm turning onto my home street. Or if I'm sitting in a turn only lane. If I'm in a turn only lane, then I'm turning so...

I never get bent about other people using them when they don't need to. It's real fucking old sitting at a busy light where I could have gone five times if someone would have had a moment to flick a switch.

I drive a BMW

Yes and that's how it should be. It shouldn't even be conscious. I signal into and out of parking spaces, I signal every lane change, hell I signal for sharp corners sometimes.

It seems to me if you are choosing to signal or not, then the use of turn signals isn't that heavily ingrained. Before I turn the wheel I'm instinctively touching the signal lever.

Keep up the good work!

If you ever think you are useless, remember people are paid to install turn signals in new Lexuses

I'm the road a lot as a cyclist. Like OP, I'd estimate that at least a quarter of vehicles rarely or never signal.

Yes, even in clearly marked turn only lanes. I wish more people were ticketed for not using them.

All the time. To the point of if I don’t use it I really kinda have a “Shit, forgot my signal” moment.

That said I don’t get too bent out of shape about other people not signaling unless it’s these two situations: making a tight lane change, or with a speed differential where I’m overtaking. Basically just short of cutting me off. Signal and I can compensate. Cut over with no warning and fuck you. Second is braking before signaling a turn, say into a driveway or side street. IDK what the hell they teach in driver’s ed these days but we got drilled that you signal first and then brake because the signal is a warning to the driver behind you that you’re gonna slow for a turn and gives them time to prepare for what you’re gonna do. Be predictable. Seems like 3/4 time people just hit their brakes in the middle of the lane leaving you wondering wtf they’re doing or if they’re just an idiot.

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.

I would rather overuse it than under use it. Funnily enough I do use mine in turn only lanes too, it’s just background noise to me at this point, but I never used it while pulling out of a low traffic suburban/rural house.

Turn signals are cool. But let's ignore the fact I live in a very rural area and there is often no one within miles of me when driving. In that case, who am I going to signal to? That suicidal deer in the ditch? That's the last SOB I want to have any clue about where I'm going. But anywhere I meet or see traffic I do use them. And definitely the once a month trip I make to a real town.

I do not, as a rule, place any great amount of faith in turn signals. And that paranoia has saved me more than once. Far too often I have seen a driver with a turn signal blinking merrily blow past me either straight ahead or turn in the opposite direction. Had I believed those signals, I would have been tee-boned.

The only thing I believe in is the direction your steer tires are turned. Turns out your vehicle will go in the direction they are pointing. Any of you new drivers, this is an excellent safe driving tip. Pay attention to the steer tires. Those tires will tell you the truth about the real intentions of another driver.

In any case always remember-- it's just as easy to be dead being dead right as it is being dead wrong. Be safe out there........

I live in Atlanta so no. If I turn my blinker on that means they need to block me so I just shoehorn my way into every turn and lane change.

Obsessively. I've been driving German autos since college, including BMW's and most BMW owners are jerks. The only exception is when I hung out with the local BMW club one summer. They drive crazy fast, but are some of the most courteous drivers on the road.

I have never used it backing up. That's just weird and confusing.

Yes even in parking lots and driveways, except sometimes when I'm pulling into a double turn lane and I don't want people to think I'm changing lanes

I always use it because then I'll never forget to use it.

...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...

I do, but I am slightly discouraged from doing so by the drivers in my area. People are always so terrified of not being the first waiting at the next red light, they see a turn signal as a warning to 'speed up and go past this car before they can get ahead of you.'

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

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.

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.

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.

I use it 100% of the time when the rules of traffic prompts me to use it.

Within a small single-lane housing area: I blink.

When exiting my driveway and the road reaches a dead end 100 meters in the one direction, so it should be very obvious which way I'll go: I blink.

The roundabout in town which is so tiny that it looks more like an intersection, and when heading straight through it: I blink.

It's so much better to have a habit of blinking and making unambiguous signals than to forget it. It helps with the flow of traffic and probably lets everyone get where they need to go quicker.

Always. Drive predictably it helps.

use. your. blinkers.

Only sickos don't use their blinkers

First thing: the blinkers are for your own safety, but they're also for other people's safety and to help improve the flow of traffic (for example, if somebody waiting at a T-junction to go into your lane sees in a timely fashion that you're going to exit at the junction, they'll know earlier they can come in rather than have to wait to see what you actually do and this kind of thing times many such situations adds up to better traffic flow).

Second thing: it's a lot easier and cognitively simpler to just do it without thinking rather than considering the situation to see if you should do it or not and a good mental trigger point to train that as an instinctive movement is "if I'm going to turn out of my lane, I'll turn the blinker on for the side I'm turning to" - so, turning of the road -> blinker on that side; changing lane -> blinker on the side I'm moving to; going to stop and park on a side of the road -> blinker on that side.

Personally I just use the blinkers for all such situations and don't even have to think about it, and as for the first point I made, that just informs how early I do it (I've trained myself to do it quite a bit before I turn in order to help with traffic flow). This does mean that at times I'll use the blinkers when there is nobody else around to actually use that information, simply because I'm not actually thinking about "should I do it or should I not?" I'm just unthinkingly executing a trained impulse. Never had any problems with excessive wear and tear of blinker lights and since I don't need to think about the "should I turn the blinker" decision I can focus on more important things, so as I see it, even at the cost of at times using the blinkers when there is nobody to see it so there is really no point, I'm still better of having trained myself to do it like this.

That said blinker usage amongst drivers massively depends on the country and the general driving culture there. For example were I come from, Portugal, most people only use the blinkers in situations were they stand to gain from it themselves (for example when exiting a road to the left, crossing a lane, were others might give you way, out of good manners if they know your intentions), then of the rest most will use it for the safety of other cars but almost none will do it for the safety of pedestrians, whilst in The Netherlands (were I picked up my current habits on this) they're generally pretty thorough on using blinkers in all situations they should quite independently of seeing or not people who might use that information (possibly because of all the bicycles around, as they're often hard to spot using the mirrors when in certain positions relative to a car which are exactly the positions were knowing that the car wants to turn is important for the safety of the cyclist)