Here in Albany, we have a little bit of a crisis on our hands. Every time I personally leave the house and get on the road, there’s someone else out there who, without fail, will not use their turn signal. It not only makes me SUPER angry, but it’s also incredibly unsafe. Do you know that your turn signals are, like, the only way you have to communicate with other drivers when you’re in the car? Obviously, you’re not going to stick your head out the window and yell “I’M TURNING LEFT,” you’re going to use your turn signal. Wouldn’t you want to know what the other drivers’ intentions are? Anyway, because of this pent-up anger and rage that I am feeling, I am writing a blog to hopefully teach everyone about how to use their turn signals properly and stay safe on the road. Let’s go!

First of all, let’s cover how to use your turn signal since I worry that there are some folks out there who are legitimately driving around without the basic knowledge of how the turn signal works (based on how few people I see using said turn signal).

First of all, there’s usually a little lever on the left side of your steering wheel. It sticks out a bit and probably has some icons on it, like a little lightbulb or even a couple of arrows. If you push this up or down, it will turn on the turn signals. Push it back to center to turn the signal off. You will be able to tell which direction you are indicating because little arrows will light up on your dashboard pointing either left or right, often accompanied by a clicking sound that will help you know that the signal is on.

To use the signal, you should make sure that you are about 100 feet away from the intersection when you turn your signal on. Some people think that it is important to turn on the signal as they are in the middle of turning, but by then it has become pointless to do so and is still frustrating to other drivers. The reason for the turn signal is to indicate to other drivers, before the action of turning, that you mean to turn soon so that they can prepare for this. Therefore, turn on the signal at least 100 feet before the physical turning place.

The next step is to make sure that your turn signal is off after you have completed your turn. Just because you have used it once doesn’t mean that you’re now set for life and never have to use it again! But, when you are done turning you should always make sure that your signal is off and ready to be used again the next time you have to turn. If your music is too loud, you might not hear the clicking that indicates that your signal is on, but you should be able to see the arrow flashing if you are paying attention!

Finally, I will leave you with this list of appropriate places to use your turn signal:

• When you are making a right-hand or left-hand turn

• When you are changing lanes

• When you are pulling away from the curb

• When you are parking, parallel or otherwise

• When you are merging onto the highway

• When you are getting off the highway

• When you are in a turning lane (yes, you still need to use your signal when you’re in a turning lane)

• When you are leaving the parking lot

• When you are exiting a driveway and getting onto the main road

• When you are passing another vehicle (legally, of course)

• When you think you should use your turn signal, use it.