# Right turn signal or four-way flashers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 29, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824 "2014-09-29T02:08:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/1 "2014-09-29T02:08:15Z")
When I pull up to a parking space to parallel park, I turn on my four-way flashers. I want the cars behind me to know that I am not going anywhere, that they should go around me or wait until I back into the parking spot. My wife says this is all wrong. She says I should put on my right-turn signal. I think this is misleading those behind me to think I am temporarily stopped and will go forward to make a right turn. Who is right here? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/2 "2014-09-29T02:15:21Z")
4-ways. Assuming you’re making the move starting in a traffic lane, that makes it a hazardous move. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/3 "2014-09-29T02:15:55Z")
If you are making a left turn into the parking space, turn on your left indicator. If making a right turn, your right indicator. IMHO, using your 4-ways in a parking lot is, well, weird and not universally understood. And not an appropriate use of 4-ways. If someone were to do this in front of me in a parking lot I would have no clue as to the intention and would wait, confused and annoyed, until you finished doing whatever you felt like doing. I’m with your wife. Stop that. ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/4 "2014-09-29T02:17:09Z")
you are. women don’t know anything about driving signals. In fact, they aren’t actually very good at direct communications at all. next time, tell her to get out and stand on the curb so she won’t distract you from the delicate and manly task of parallel parking. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/5 "2014-09-29T02:22:54Z")
Your right turn signal will tell people behind you you’re doing _something_ and when you slow down they’ll probably go around you assuming you’re about to park. The ones that don’t probably will when you pull up and stop just past an empty spot and your reverse lights turn on. ---
**Author:** ![Morelin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b5e925/32.png) [@Morelin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morelin)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/6 "2014-09-29T02:28:21Z")
In Driver’s Ed, we were taught to use the blinker in the direction we were parking. FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/7 "2014-09-29T02:46:47Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > My wife says this is all wrong. She says I should put on my right-turn signal. I think this is misleading those behind me to think I am temporarily stopped and will go forward to make a right turn. If your car is stopped just ahead of an open parallel spot and you’ve got your right-turn signal on, it’s fairly easy to conclude that you’re about to parallel park. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/8 "2014-09-29T02:57:03Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > If you are making a left turn into the parking space, turn on your left indicator. If making a right turn, your right indicator. > > IMHO, using your 4-ways in a parking lot is, well, weird and not universally understood. And not an appropriate use of 4-ways. If someone were to do this in front of me in a parking lot I would have no clue as to the intention and would wait, confused and annoyed, until you finished doing whatever you felt like doing. > > I’m with your wife. Stop that. He’s not in a parking lot. He’s parallel parking in the street alongside the curb. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/9 "2014-09-29T03:00:57Z")
Turn signals for parallel parking. Your car is going to be moving in the direction of the turn signal. Flashers are for when your car is stopped in an unexpected area and not moving; when your car has broken down, when you are double parking for a reasonable reason, or for when you are driving significantly slower than might be expected; on a highway when your car is having mechanical problems or there is poor weather. I think I would be more alarmed to see a car with flashers start backing up. ---
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/10 "2014-09-29T04:10:51Z")
Right turn signal ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/11 "2014-09-29T04:14:58Z")
Right turn signal. Also, this should have been a poll. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/12 "2014-09-29T04:45:27Z")
> [@chiroptera](#): > > If you are making a left turn into the parking space, turn on your left indicator. If making a right turn, your right indicator. > > IMHO, using your 4-ways in a parking lot is, well, weird and not universally understood. And not an appropriate use of 4-ways. If someone were to do this in front of me in a parking lot I would have no clue as to the intention and would wait, confused and annoyed, until you finished doing whatever you felt like doing. > > I’m with your wife. Stop that. Not in a parking lot. Parking on the street ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/13 "2014-09-29T04:55:13Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > If your car is stopped just ahead of an open parallel spot and you’ve got your right-turn signal on, it’s fairly easy to conclude that you’re about to parallel park. But look, you are driving in traffic looking for a parking spot on your right. You see one about three spaces up and put on your right turn signal. The driver behind you thinks you are going to make a right turn at the next intersection and stays right on your tail. Now you stop just ahead of the open space and prepare to back in, but the car behind you blocks you and is probably too close to turn into the left hand lane. This happens all the time. On the other hand, when I see the parking space, I turn on the four-ways. NOW anyone behind me thinks, "Whoa, this guy is gonna stop; I better swerve left to get around him. Now there is nobody behind me and I can park. ---
**Author:** ![race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c4cdca/32.png) [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/race_to_the_bottom)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/14 "2014-09-29T04:56:54Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > Right turn signal Why? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/15 "2014-09-29T05:00:50Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > But look, you are driving in traffic looking for a parking spot on your right. You see one about three spaces up and put on your right turn signal. The driver behind you thinks you are going to make a right turn at the next intersection and stays right on your tail. Now you stop just ahead of the open space and prepare to back in, but the car behind you blocks you and is probably too close to turn into the left hand lane. This happens all the time. So you stop just ahead of the parking spot, turn on the right-turn signal and put the car in reverse (so the reverse lights go on). The driver behind you will understand what you intend and will enter the left lane. ---
**Author:** ![Spiderman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spiderman/32/230_2.png) [@Spiderman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spiderman)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/16 "2014-09-29T13:00:19Z")
Right turn signal. Also, you can stop in front of the open space before pulling up in front of it, putting car into reverse & pulling in. ---
**Author:** ![Salem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8c91f0/32.png) [@Salem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Salem)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/17 "2014-09-29T13:29:04Z")
Right turn signal. That’s how I was taught in driver’s ed and was required when taking the driving test-- at least it was 100 or so years ago when I took it. ---
**Author:** ![Cheesesteak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cheesesteak/32/3694_2.png) [@Cheesesteak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheesesteak)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/18 "2014-09-29T13:33:28Z")
> [@race\_to\_the\_bottom](#): > > On the other hand, when I see the parking space, I turn on the four-ways. NOW anyone behind me thinks, "Whoa, this guy is gonna stop; I better swerve left to get around him. Now there is nobody behind me and I can park. He shouldn’t be going around you, he should be stopping. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/19 "2014-09-29T13:39:51Z")
I don’t think in my entire life I’ve seen someone use their hazards to indicate parallel parking. Since we are talking about a “signal” to other drivers, all your appeals to logic are for meaningless. Hazards means you are stopped or driving well below expected speed. Turn signals mean you are going in that direction. That’s what everyone else on the road is expecting of you. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2014, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824/20 "2014-09-29T14:01:58Z")
Right turn signal is safer. If you put on your hazards, I assume you’re broken down or double parking. What I’m REALLY assuming is that _you’re not going to move_ from where you are. So I’m going to try and get that free spot I see just behind and to your right that you must have decided not to take because you put your hazards on to double park. Maybe you’re crap at parallel parking, or maybe you’re just running up to deliver a pizza. But that space is free, since you’ve not indicated you’re moving to the right to take it. See the problem here? We’re going to get in a fender bender. You have actually created a hazard by using your hazards in an unconventional way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/right-turn-signal-or-four-way-flashers/699824.md?page=2)