Paul from CompetentDrivingBC often shares his insights here on DriveSmartBC.
I like his explanation of whether to signal or not and decided to share it with
you. It’s great advice that we should all practice all the time.
Surprisingly often, when teaching new drivers, I’ve been asked ‘Do I have to
signal this?’.
My stock answer would be along the lines of ‘Will it hurt? Can you afford the
electricity? Might it help other road users figure out what you’re going to do
next?’
The mandatory turn lane is a classic example. The driver’s logic being I have
to do this, so why on earth would I tell people I’m going to do this? Well the
answer is simple enough – while you, the driver may (and should) be aware of
the regulatory signs and arrows facing you, that doesn’t mean that the other
road users – and this includes cyclists and pedestrians of course – have any
idea about it. What does the back of a square regulatory sign look like, what
message can be extracted from that? Rhetorical question, naturally. Basically,
only Octagons, Triangles, Crossbucks, and Pentagons – along with Diamond shaped
Playground signs accompanied by a W3 horizontal tab – can be comprehended from
behind them.
And Section 170 of the MVA is pretty clear; if your maneuver may affect
traffic, it must be signalled in advance. Why doesn’t the law simply require
every turn to be signalled ahead of time? My guess would be that it was written
back in the day when convenient electric turn signals were not yet common; so
if you imagine some farmer in the middle of nowhere, driving his ’32 Ford truck
and about to turn from the highway into the gravel road back to his farm –
without a living soul in miles apart from the buzzard sitting on the fence post
– well he’s busy enough double-clutching his downshifts before the turn, and
cranking that armstrong steering, so expecting him to stick his left hand and
arm in the appropriate direction would be pretty absurd. The buzzard doesn’t
care.
When it comes to lane changes, we’re looking at a different and much more
recent time in the evolution of both automobiles and roadways. A time when, for
instance, separate traffic lanes now existed. And electrically operated turn
signals in cars were becoming commonplace. So Section 151(c) MVA gives you no
choice. Even if you’re miles from nowhere in the middle of the night without
another road user apparent in the landscape, you still have to signal your lane
changes; so there is NO EXCUSE for anyone not to do this, and NO EXCUSE for the
cops to ignore it when drivers don’t do so. Pardon me for shouting. Pet peeve?
‘What’s that?’, he asked, innocently.
A most excellent Driving Instructor by the name of Keith who used to be a
colleague of mine used to give this advice to his students; that a driver
should always know, from scanning the scene ahead and in his mirrors, who
needed to actually see that signal, and endeavour to ensure that they had done
so. Great advice – but I think there’s one exception, and that’s when you’re
heading onto the freeway; so often, the entrance ramp will be at a different
angle, and frequently at a different elevation, to the freeway itself. So
drivers on the freeway will have the opportunity to notice that blinking light
way before you’re able to spot them in your mirrors.
You might think that I would shut up now, but here are a couple of observations
I’ve made about european vs north american rules regarding the signals on cars.
Rules over there are much more stringent – you won’t see any red turn signal
lenses (they will always be amber) and you won’t see any brake light bulbs and
turn signal bulbs being used in common, either. Furthermore – and I think this
stems from their realization that pedestrians and turning vehicles will often
be in close proximity at intersections – they have required turn signal lights
to be installed on the sides of the front fenders as well, for the information
of those out of the line of the driver’s sight. Look at the Audi’s, BMW’s,
Mercedes, etc around you and you’ll see what I mean. Good thinking, good
design.
Story URL: https://www.drivesmartbc.ca/skills/should-i-signal
—
Constable Tim Schewe (Retired)
DriveSmartBC: Where better than average drivers satisfy their curiosity.