Turn Signals Can Cause Car Accidents
When traffic accidents happen, some of us mistakenly focus on who was at fault. Figuring out who was at fault is the job of law enforcement officials and insurance investigators. Whats far more important for the rest of us is to focus on whether or not this accident could have been prevented? Many times, we can avoid accidents just by putting ourselves in the other drivers shoes. Think about what the other driver might do if you make a certain maneuver. Your actions may cause that other driver to do something really dangerous to both of you. Ill show you what I mean.
A few days ago I was riding to a grocery store with a friend. I was sitting in the right front seat of his car. The parking lot of the store we were going to had two entrances about 100 feet apart. There was a car waiting to come out of the first entrance. We were going to turn right into the second entrance. My friend turned on his turn signal about 150 feet from the second entrance. Suddenly, the car that was waiting to come out of the first entrance, jumped out in front of our car causing my friend to slam on the brakes. Yes, he was able to stop in time. After collecting himself and mumbling a few choice words, my friend asked me "what in the world was wrong with that person?" I told him that person probably saw your right turn signal flashing and probably thought you were going to turn right into the first entrance so he decided to come on out.
If an accident occurred as a result of this incident, the guy driving the other car probably would have gotten a ticket for failure to yield to oncoming traffic. But the truth of the matter is that both drivers could have avoided the situation. My friend should not have turned on his turn signal until he passed that first entrance. That way he would not have given the other driver the impression that he was going to turn into the first entrance. He should have thought about what that other driver might do if I turn on my turn signals while approaching the first entrance. If he had considered this, he would have waited until he past the first entrance.
The driver of the other car should not have taken for granite my friend would turn right into the first entrance. A key point to remember is that turn signals never make cars turn. He should have waited to see if my friend was really going to turn right into that first entrance. He should have thought "maybe my friend doesnt know that his turn signals are on and that maybe hes not going to turn at all!"
The moral of the story is to use turn signals wisely. Improper use of turn signals can cause accidents. Safe driving is a skill that must be learned and practiced. Many accidents can be avoided by simply thinking about what other drivers might do, learning other safe driving skills and putting them into practice in your everyday driving. Accident-free driving can become a habit and a lifestyle.