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Drivers cite laziness for not using signals

03/15/2006, 1:29 PM

By admin

A new national survey reveals that 57% of American drivers admit they don’t use their turn signal when changing lanes, but what is most interesting are the excuses drivers gave. According to Response Insurance, a national car insurer, 42% of those drivers say they don’t have enough time, 23% admit they are just plain “lazy,” 17% don’t signal because when they do, they forget to turn it off, 12% admit they are changing lanes too frequently to bother, 11% say it is not important, 8% say they don’t signal because other drivers don’t, and 7% say forgoing the signal “adds excitement to driving.” The survey was conducted by Response Insurance.

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03/15, 1:33 PM

posted by:

KissMyX

picture broken

03/15, 1:35 PM

posted by:

Nick

I’m surrounded by idiots.

03/15, 1:39 PM

posted by:

peter

Those are some fabulous excuses. I know I forget sometimes because of laziness, but never when other cars are remotely close by, as I am very paranoid about my blind spots and such… The numbers in this survey seem pretty believable.

03/15, 1:46 PM

posted by:

///mach3

Here’s what you say to someone who doesn’t use their signals:
you – “Excuse me (sir/ma’am), did you get a discount for your car?”
them – “Uh, no.. why?”
you – “Because it appears that your turn signals are broken” :)

Variation:
you – “Excuse me (sir/ma’am), does your car come with a return policy”
(repeat above)

For someone who leaves the turn signal on all the time:
you – “Excuse me (sir/ma’am), I think you’ll need to go to the mechanic to get your EBS checked out”
them – “Uh.. EBS??”
you – “Yes. EBS – your car appears to be suffering from ‘Eternal Blinker Syndrome’”

It’s not difficult, people.. a flick of the wrist, and you can prevent quite a few accidents.

03/15, 1:52 PM

posted by:

John

Geeze I know. I ALWAYS use my blinker. Its not like its difficult. If nothing else, just flip it as you’re turning the wheel! These are the same idiots saying “oh, I dont wear a seat belt because its uncomfortable/restricting.” So is being dead. Learn how to drive.

03/15, 2:13 PM

posted by:

Leopold Porkstacker

I only have one bumpersticker on my car, and it reads, “DUMBASSES DON’T USE TURNSIGNALS”. Your pathetic lazy fat bloated McDonald’s eatin loser automatic-transmission-equipped lardbutt is too lazy to use your turnsignal?!??!?! Shame on you!!!! I’ll blast my twin banks of Italian air horns (four horns total) at you if you don’t use your turnsignal when changing lanes in front of me, and you’ll end up dropping your cellphone on the floor and spilling your super-sized 256oz. diet soft drink in your lap.

-he who stacks pork

03/15, 2:21 PM

posted by:

Downshift

Maybe the dumbasses (and they are dumbasses) subscribe to my father’s theory:

Why use turn signals? Once I’ve made the turn, everybody’s going to know where I was headed anyway.

Yes, that makes my dad a dumbass, in this respect.

03/15, 2:25 PM

posted by:

Adam Lindsay

I always signal, even during racing autox and track I have been known to accidentally signal from just sheer habit. I live back in western NY, but while living in Raleigh, I noticed this was much more of a problem.

The 7% that say it adds excitement, that is just simply funny. The rest are sad.

03/15, 2:32 PM

posted by:

Matt

My favourite is the people who signal *after* pulling into the turning lane. I’ve tried to explain that the signal is to tell people you’re *going to move*, but it often falls on deaf ears.

It’s the autmotive equivalent to asking if you can have a sip of someone’s drink while drinking it. The signal comes before the move, not after, or during…

03/15, 3:04 PM

posted by:

John

Yeah I do it out of habit too sometimes when I shouldn’t… particularly when I see a yellow turn sign (the yellow sign with the black arrow telling you the road is turning sharply ahead).

03/15, 3:20 PM

posted by:

Lewis Salem

This is a big problem in the South. Nobody uses them here. It causes problems constantly because you don’t know what the hell people are doing while they’re slowing down… then suddenly, a turn. Unpredictability is not a good driver trait.

03/15, 4:13 PM

posted by:

JD

They don’t have TIME???

Punch ‘em all. Right in the head.

03/15, 4:41 PM

posted by:

BlaRo

“7% say forgoing the signal ‘adds excitement to driving.’”

“Whoa, here’s an intersection! I’m slowing down! Or am I? Am I going to take this corner at full speed? Which way will I go? Will I turn? Will I keep going? WHO KNOWS?! Whoosh, quick left-hander through traffic! Oh, SNAP! Suckers never saw it coming! I sure kept them on their toes! Man, that’s some serious Fast and Furious Bullitt James Bond action shizzle right there! Hey, another corner! Will I turn? Will I keep going? Whoosh! They never saw it…” BLAM

Hey, people who gave that as an excuse: driving off bridges into water also adds excitement to driving. Try it sometime.

03/15, 5:18 PM

posted by:

William C

My favorite excuse was “I dont use my turn signal because it saves on turn signal fluid” lol.

I always signal. I cant always see cars in my blindspot so I’d prefer drivers to be aware of what I’m about to do.

03/15, 5:58 PM

posted by:

gsh

on LA freeways, if you want to change lanes and you signal, people in other lane will SPEED UP to prevent you from getting into their lane…its like a safari but youre actually hunting for lane space

03/15, 6:17 PM

posted by:

The Stig

#15: You are right on the mark.

But if you want a real laugh see how many of the LAPD use their signals.

03/15, 8:34 PM

posted by:

Nuno

“Adds excitement to driving”
Wow, just wow. An instant classic.

03/15, 8:51 PM

posted by:

Greg

hahahahaha im saving this one.

03/15, 9:41 PM

posted by:

Tim

It’s nice to know that they’re not all idiots…7 % are sadists (adds excitement).

03/15, 10:30 PM

posted by:

Terence

ditto to Matt..
to me, people that don’t use turn signals aren’t as bad as the ones that use them incorrectly.. people that turn signal RIGHT as they start to turn??
come the f on.. if you don’t know the PURPOSE of using the signal, might as well not use it

03/15, 10:49 PM

posted by:

Chris G

They don’t have time? I guess they don’t have time to DRIVE.

03/16, 12:41 PM

posted by:

Mike

My favorite here in St. Paul/MPLS is I’m in the left lane behind a car at a red light on a multi-lane road (not the left turn lane). The light turns green and THEN they turn on the signal – its a classic. I also like the reason – it adds excitement to driving.

03/17, 12:30 AM

posted by:

StanFord

“on LA freeways, if you want to change lanes and you signal, people in other lane will SPEED UP to prevent you from getting into their lane”…

“The light turns green and THEN they turn on the signal”

Both these also hppens in the Seattel area as well. Alot of self-centered, passive agressive types on the road there and I hate every one of them.

03/21, 1:18 PM

posted by:

Renato Poliakov a.k.a. Dottore

**on LA freeways, if you want to change lanes and you signal, people in other lane will SPEED UP to prevent you from getting into their lane…its like a safari but youre actually hunting for lane space
Comment by gsh, posted on March15 at 5:58 pm **

Drivers in Moscow (Russia) do the same, they speed up, but I always look for a big enough distance to change lane. Or for a woman, usuallly they are a little bit slower and more careful.
…safari ev`rywhere :)

04/27, 11:39 PM

posted by:

Peter

I always signal, unless I can guarantee that there’s nobody next to me.

 
 
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