What other papers are saying
By Staff
Bad signals
Although a new national survey reveals that 57 percent of American drivers admit they don't use their turn signal when changing lanes, what's most startling are the excuses drivers gave.
According to Response Insurance, a national car insurer, 42 percent of those drivers say they don't have enough time, 23 percent say they are just plain “lazy,” 17 percent don't signal because when they do they forget to turn it off, 12 percent admit they are changing lanes too frequently to bother, 11 percent say it is not important, 8 percent say they don't signal because other drivers don't, and perhaps most disturbing 7 percent say forgoing the signal “adds excitement to driving.”
The company identified several driver-types when it comes to ignoring turn signals – impulsive, lazy, forgetful, swervers, ostriches, followers and daredevils.
The just released survey also indicated that men are more likely than women to forego their signal when changing lanes (62 percent vs. 53 percent), as are younger drivers (ages 18-24), 71 percent of whom report they don't signal, as compared to 49 percent of older adults (ages 55-64).
It's unsettling to think that people don't realize the importance of letting others know what direction they're going to go on the road. If somebody doesn't know what direction you're going to go, then they really can't safely move around you because they can't trust you on the road.
And forgetting to turn off your signal is just as bad as forgetting to use it in the first place, because you're giving people the impression that you're going to turn or change lanes when you're really not.
