In my neck of the woods, the vast majority of people don’t signal when they ENTER the dedicated turning lane (when it would be useful to know what they’re planning), but signal once they’re IN the turning lane (when their turn is now mandatory).
People around here do some patently stupid things while driving. The prevailing rules are “drive however you feel is acceptable” rather than “drive according to a set of laws.”
My birth province actually enforces a lot of the same laws that are on the books in my current province, but if the police did that here I’m sure there would be tons of blown minds. Indignant people who don’t care to even know they are breaking the driving laws.
I was pulled over in New Zealand for not signalling in a roundabout. The officer was very nice and gave me a break. I was still learning the ropes of driving on the wrong side of the road, remembering to signal in roundabouts made driving more fun.
Yes, and if I’m behind you, you should signal *before *you enter the dedicated turn lane, not after you’re already there. People behind you want to know your intentions, too.
The National Transportation Safety Board requires all automotive vehicles have operational turn signal devices installed and that drivers use those signals to indicate any lane change or turn. And yes, that includes turns performed in designated turning lanes.
See the Uniform Vehicle Code, any state rule that differs is the exception and not a generally safe to assume rule.
Yep, in Chicago, if I see someone in a turn lane without a turn signal on, my default assumption is that they’re trying to jump ahead as soon as the light turns green and make an illegal pass.
I may or may not. If there is a reason to indicate it to others I will do so, even continuously or just for that time, if the clicking annoys me I will turn it off. There are various shades of gray too.
One typical thing I may do is signal my intention to turn till I am safely snuggled into the turn lane, then turn it off, wait till it’s time to move, then turn it on again to make my turn.
You and me, brother. I have yet to see another road user signal to leave the traffic circle. If I ever see one do it, I’ll hang out the window of my car and shout “Hi, Balthisar!!”
So, this just happened to me last night.
I was in a dedicated turn lane waiting for the light to change so I could make a left.
Across the intersection, there was a car in his dedicated turn lane, waiting for the light to change. He wasn’t signaling.
When the light changed, he gunned it, and went across the intersection without turning.
As a general rule I use my signal in turning lanes.
I’m a bit ambivalent towards using in when there are multiple turn lanes. If I’m not in the innermost lane of the turn, I worry people may think I’m attempting to get over.
