…to explain to me the mindset of choosing not to literally flick your finger to signal when you’re switching lanes, and significantly lessen the chance of you and other people not getting hurt or killed. There is basically nothing in life that takes less effort, and I’ve just never understood.
Do people who do this think it makes them look cool or tough? Do they genuinely enjoying pissing people off? Or are they so self involved that other peoples safety just doesn’t enter the equation?
Completely open to being persuaded to being sympathetic, but just cannot conceive of the thought process.
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These people are deeply lost in their own world. They think that they don’t have to have situational awareness because they think the world revolves around them.
Once my Dad got a new car. He was excited to show me that when it detects a car in your potential blind spot, it beeps and a symbol on the rearview mirror lights up. While driving, I say “Dad, you forgot to signal!” He replies, “I don’t need to signal because it would beep if someone was there.”
So. Sometimes the reason is being a little bit dumb (temporarily or otherwise).
I think you’re applying a lot more intent to it than it has. People just forget. It’s still a shitty thing to do, but people aren’t intentionally refusing to do it because Ha Ha it seems So Cool
No need to be sympathetic. Ppl who cant operate their vehicles in accordance with established doctrine/laws shouldn’t drive, plain and simple. I spent 10yrs as a traffic officer writing every ticket I could for shitty driving behaviours. It still blows my mind how many ppl had a “Eh heh” flip my hair, waggle my tits mentality to operating a 2000lb machine one the roads.
I’m in the camp that thinks not using a turn signal is just as bad as not wearing a seatbelt.
They’re generally of the mind that if you indicate ahead of time, then people will block you. Gotta change lanes as a surprise attack.
It’s horseshit (I drive in the exact same cities they do and signal ahead of time with zero issues) but good luck convincing them.
I always use them, even if there is no one else around because there might be someone I didn’t notice and it’s a habit. I’ve been harassed by friends for using turn signals at all, saying I’m not cool or something. I’ve also been told it makes me look “gay” (I am, lol) or like I’m paranoid and obsessed with safety (I am) like I have to always follow the rules and that makes me not a rebel, or that I’m showing other people what I’m going to do and that isn’t safe because they might follow me or use the info to harm me (what?) or that the sound/light is annoying for everyone and I should think of their feelings. It’s so strange.
I had a late 80’s BMW years ago. The turn signal switch was *butter*. An absolute tactile joy to use. It made the stereotype of the BMW driver not using their signals even more baffling. I’d use that lever to change lanes when nobody was around in the middle of the night, it felt so nice.
A variant of these folks put the brakes on for no apparent reason and then put the blinker on later as they turn. I guess we must be assumed to be physic. The other option is they don’t put the blinker on until they can read the street sign. If it’s a vision thing we have a lot of blind drivers on the road.
A lot of these folks also drive cars as if turning radius is like a truck. They brake, move the car towards the centre of the road, and then turn right. No way to know which way they are turning or plan an escape if they brake to a full stop unexpectedly.
They don’t need to know my buziness
That used to be me, the unapologetic refuser to use turn signals, until I acquired my 2023 Toyota Highlander with the Auto Assist feature. If I don’t use my turn signal now going over ANY line, Hal (the car’s name) loudly squawks and yanks the steering wheel away from me!! No joke, it thinks I’m about to crash the vehicle by driving off the side of the road. So now I use the turn signal constantly to just to keep control of the vehicle.
Side note, apparently this is the same technology that Tesla uses and I sure as shit wouldn’t rely on it to drive me around at all! Also, if my hands are off the steering wheel for 10 seconds, Hal tells me in words to put my hands back on it immediately.
An older man, husband of a friend, always insisted upon driving. He would growl under his breath, or say out loud, “Ha! Gotcha!” and “Oh, no, you don’t, Bastard”, and “Look at that! That’s criminal!” and so many more phrases. He refused to signal. “What? Signal? And disclose my intentions to them?”
Some of them fail to understand that you primarily indicate for the cars you haven’t seen or aren’t aware of in some cases. It’s a shit habit, it’s better to just always indicate even if you’re alone on a country road in the middle of the night.
Laziness and lack of consideration.
These people don’t understand that there is no forcefield around their vehicle !! They’re the same people who only look 1 direction when pulling out. After all, if I didn’t see you, then you can’t hit me 😆
My husband used to be like that. He’d bitch when people wouldn’t let him merge. I finally asked him how in the fuck they’re supposed to know you want to merge if you don’t turn on the fucking blinker. (I was really mad at his bitching).
I still have to remind him occasionally, but without the swearing and anger.