:subscribe:

Ah, but they are NOT passing you. They are effectively blocking you going at or near the same speed. All because I initially did the "right thing" and signaled.
Now what??

IF I brake to slip in behind the guy, you're pissing off the people behind you and basically humbling yourself to the speeder-upper. He wins. He's the better man for today and you should be ashamed to look your wife in the eye.

1. It's not my fault if the other motorist isn't paying attention to what's going on. If he didn't notice that I was in the process of passing him, he's probably not going to notice my signal either.

2. I'm not "cutting in front" of the other guy. I'm getting well in front of him and moving back into his lane. Its not like I'm sliding over just a few feet from his front bumper. In heavy traffic that requires that kind of manuever, then yeah sure I signal.
[/quote]

I agree, im not a driver that puts on his blinker and expects someone to let me in, instead i take a proactive approach and pick up my speed to that of the desired lane and get far enough ahead to make a blinker pointless. I live in CA and people dont like others to merge in, and i get more pissed if people just put their blinker on and stay at the speed they are going and expect everyone to slow down so they can merge in.

Check with your doctor and get a physical to make sure you are healthy enough to partake in a rigorous signal utilization progam. Start slowly but continually try to build on the 1 signal per drive maximum that is your current physical limitation. Soon you will have the stamina to signal, 2, 3, or even 5 times without needing a nap or power drink. With dedication and hard work you may even be able to gut out 7 full signals in a single sitting. If you switch to whole milk instead of skim milk you might have the caloric reserves to be able to hit the mythical double digit signals per drive. Stay positive and don't limit yourself. And if you wear your watch on the left wrist you'd better start shopping for a bigger band you stallion!

Should I call my doctor if my turn signal stays on longer than four hours?

Only if you're signalling left while driving 45 in the left lane. Make sure you're driving while calling the Dr.

The changes brought on in the human dynamic when driving is involved make me long for the future when we no longer drive at all. People get all whack for some reason I cannot fathom.

The major flaw with your method is that you seem to believe you're infallable. It's possible to not see someone coming. We've all done it. You almost pull out in front of someone and say "Whoa, I never saw them coming". That's why you use your blinker. You may not see them, but they see you.

For example, you turned left, with no signal because you didn't see anyone coming the other way, but what if you simply didn't see the guy coming the other way? You would've been T-boned and possibly killed becasue you didn't use your blinker. But just think about how much energy you saved!

And what about everyone else on the road? What if there was a guy on a bike coming the other way that you didn't see? You turn left right in front of him, he slams into you and dies. Impossible huh? Almost happened to me once in that exact scenario. I was the guy on the bike. They never saw me.

It's not all about you. Using your blinker is so freakin' easy yet you refuse to do it. You'd rather take the chance of possibly killing someone than flip that lever. Why? What are you afraid of? People will think less of you?

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance has a great dissertation on this. Basically says the human temperment was designed for foot speed, and adding high speed vehicles where the driver feels invisible to the outside world is a recipe for disaster.

Wow. I hope for your sake you're kidding.

casue they know it ticks people off??

What's that term you kids are using these days? "Unpack it"? Yeah....that's it, I'm going to need you to unpack that a little bit more for me, there chief.

Now, granted, sport biker riders are a different breed. If these kids weren't out pulling wheelies down the freeway at 80 mph, they'd be in their cars doing something equally as stupid.

There's a saying that there are bold bikers and their are old bikers, but there are no old, bold bikers. Most bikers that I know --- cruiser riders, are the absolute safest drivers on the road. They have to be. Or they'd be dead.

I've seen this book quoted many times here now; maybe I should check it out. I'm just amazed at how people so often change personality when they get behind the wheel. Me, I just get lazier -- I want the least stress possible and I'm real patient.

obviously you have never driven in southern california










Further, I am not saying its an excuse for not using your signal. Signals are good. But those claiming using your signal is easy arent telling the complete story about when, how and why to use them. Thats my point.

One of the biggest causes of motorcyle fatalities is a car turning left in front of a motorcycle who has an unimpeded right of way to continue straight ahead.

And, invariably, the first thing they tell the officer (as they are being cuffed and put in the back of a squad car) is "I never saw the motorcycle."

Just because you didn't see another car or a motorcycle coming doesn't mean that one isn't there. But, as this poster pointed out, you believe you're infalible, and to hell with the saftey of anybody else who is on the road with you.

The delight you take in your own willful ignorance is staggering. And speaks volumes.

I am the same way. I don't speed up or tailgate the driver in front of me, but I won't go out of my way to let that person not using their blinker in.

It isn't a law to use one in my state. So I only do it only when I feel like it.

I live here in SoCal (in the OC like you) and have found that drivers here are by far and away the rudest and most reckless drivers I've seen in the US. I completely agree with you that your signal should be on BEFORE changing lanes and I concede that just because you have your signal on doesn't necessarily give you the right to change lanes. With that being said, way too many drivers in SoCal will refuse to give you the space to change lanes for absolutely no reason other than to be rude. The instances of drivers being unable to slow down because of traffic behind them is a rare exception to this rule.

Moreover, the signal issue is really just part of a larger problem with American drivers in terms of losing our focus on being defensive drivers and providing basic courtesy to others on the roadways.

Just out of curiosity, what state is that?

I'm guessing somewhere in close proximity to D.C. --- is it Virginia (West or otherwise)?

I'm just guessing here, but delusion?

I used to own and drive a motorcycle exclusively when I was younger. For this reason I've always made it a point to use blinkers automatically. It's just a habit now. I probably look like an idiot signaling out there alone on some highways but I don't really care.

I feel for people having to ride bikes as their only mode of transportation these days. Running red lights in particular has gone WAY up since I was a youngster. Scary.

Please elaborate on how the traffic behind you has any ability to influence your right to slow down?

1. I've seen way too many bikers (old guys on harleys included) that think the dashed line is their own personal lane, and will pass in between to cars simply because the can.

2. Setting that aside, I've known too many guys who have wrecked on their bikes even when they were alone on the road and/or obeying all rules of the road. A good friend on mine lost his best friend when they were riding, and the dude lost control a flipped over an embankment. My BIL was riding in a parade , and a motorcycle cop who was also in the parade lost control (when they were riding maybe 25 MPH) and was in intensive care for 2 weeks. Bottom line: riding on the road with nothing between you and the pavement inherently = disregard for safety.

Not trying to with this post (I'll admit I am in some others). I've just seen too many tragedies in my life that IMO riding = death wish.

You use your blinker for the person you don't see just as much as the person you see.

Yep as a fellwo motorcyle rider you realize how important blinkers can be. I use them all the time. There is just no reason not to.

Just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that they aren't out to get you.

Accidents happen in both cars and motorcycles I don't thik riding is a death wish. That's just dumb. I for one am a much better driver on a motorcyle then a car. You have last distractions no phone, no radio, and you can see and hear much better.

Anyone who thinks riding a bike is as safe as riding is a car is fooling themselves. I'm so confident I am right that I'm not going to bother with a link.

Fair enough.

I make no qualms that bikes are infinitely more dangerous as a means of transportation than are cars. But more bikers are hurt and killed by/because of cars than they are from their own actions.

So, if you really understand how inherently dangerous it is for bikers on the road, primarily because of the inattentiveness of car drivers,then it would seem that you would go out of your way to ensure that you are not "that car" that kills a biker.

Even for the idiot bikers out there who do ride the dashed line to weave through traffic, they can still do so much more safely based upon the signals of the cars they are overtaking and passing.

Do you really want to be the guy who caused a reckless motorcycle rider to crash and die "just to show him"?

I steer clear of bikers for exactly that reason< and generally drive more defensively around them. And hey, its legal so i can't begrudge anyone who wants to do it. But so is smoking. I put both of those in the same category of Health Risks I'd Rather Avoid.

[quote name='Verbal Kint' post='8438303' date='Apr 1 2008, 12:56 PM'][quote name='B Maverick' post='8438135' date='Apr 1 2008, 12:38 PM'][quote name='Verbal Kint' post='8437705' date='Apr 1 2008, 09:38 AM'][quote name='B Maverick' post='8437646' date='Apr 1 2008, 10:30 AM'][quote name='Rand al Thor' post='8437541' date='Apr 1 2008, 09:13 AM'][quote name='Rayderr' post='8437417' date='Apr 1 2008, 09:52 AM']I think it comes down to this. Everytime I use my turn signal to change lanes, the person behind me in the lane I want to move into suddenly speeds up because they can't stand to have yet another car in front of them. You don't signal, you can catch them off guard and move in before they cut you off.[/quote]

x2.

I'm sure people thought you were joking, but that was my thought as well. Now, if I'm making a right turn off a street without a turn lane, I will signal so the car behind knows to slow down. Usually they don't and they get right on your ### and flip you off for having the nerve to slow them down, signal or not. In any metro area in Florida, if you use a turn signal to let someone know you would like to politely come over into their lane, 9 out of 10 times, they will speed up to block you and then pretend they don't notice your middle finger. Seriously. This is a phenomenon I have discussed with many of my friends and we all are of the opinion that the only way you can safely merge is to jack someone before they know you want over. So around here, the rudeness of not using a turn signal is a conscious response to what is an even even ruder behavioral issue.
[/quote]




Same in SoCal. Signal and they will speed up to not let you in.



For those yelling about those not using your signals, I am going to put some of the blame back on you. I hope you realize that just because you use your signal doesnt mean you have the right to change lanes. Signals are more of an asking if its ok to change lanes, and does NOT automatically give you the right to change lanes. If you are off my bumper and signal I do not automatically have to slow down to let you in. In fact, there may be a car behind me preventing that, so you moving over is not an option. SPEED UP or slow down and find a safe time to move. Just because your signal is on doesnt mean jack.

Further, remember, your signal is to come on first, then you decide if its safe to move. DO NOT start to change lanes, then turn on your signal then expect the car you are merging into to let you.

Signals are good, but they do not give you the right of way.
[/quote]


That part was really idiotic.
[/quote]
obviously you have never driven in southern california










Further, I am not saying its an excuse for not using your signal. Signals are good. But those claiming using your signal is easy arent telling the complete story about when, how and why to use them. Thats my point.
[/quote]

Please elaborate on how the traffic behind you has any ability to influence your right to slow down?
[/quote]

You have still not clearly described what is not easy about using a turn signal.

Using turn signals never makes a situation more dangerous while not using them does.

Why is this so difficult for some people to grasp?

Besides, its hard to signal in this case when I'm texting my buddy about the tourney or watching Superbad on my IPOD.

Except that's not what he said. He said that he is a better and safer driver on a bike than in a car. And I agree with him. I'm much more attentive and aware of everything and everybody on the road when I'm on my bike than when I'm in my car.

Research and studies have shown that driving while talking on a cell phone is comparable to driving while intoxicated in terms of your ability to recognize and react to traffic situations.

I've never once riden my bike while on the phone.

Again, bikes are dangerous. Yes. Mostly because bad car drivers tend to not see them and run them over and/or off the road.

Why does there have to be a law before you will take measures to increase your own safety?

I would laugh if that weren't so true of many drivers today.

This is 100% true. The non-use of the turn signal is an epidemic here. So many times I've wanted to give these drivers a piece of my mind. However I know what their response will be 9 out of 10 times.

"No speaka engrish"

Bikers aren't exempt from these laws either. I hardly ever see bikers signal when turning. Hopefully you are the exception.

I thought you were going to say that they'd let their 'nine' doing the talking.

Totally agree on the cell phone thing. Even more dangerous IMO. And again, in my experience the bike accidents have occurred with no cars anywhere near them.

First off - always signal when you're making a turn or changing lanes. Period. Doesn't matter if no one is around. You still do it. There might be a car or person you can't see so it's always the right thing to do. Takes no effort.

But I don't understand at all the idea of you don't want to signal so you catch the guy off guard and make it where he'll speed up to not let you in.

In most cases, the signal is to let people know you are moving to other lane. It's assumed already that there is enough room. So hit the signal and make the move. Easy. There shouldn't be any factor of the other guy speeding up. If there's room to safely move to the lane, make your move.

Now it's different if there isn't room and you're signaling with the hope that someone will let you in. But that's a case where you couldn't move over at all until something changed. You can signal but it's up to the person in the lane whether they want to let you in or not.

J

I'm a fan of motorcycles. But don't be confused. Bikes are dangerous because they're much harder to see than cars and when you get into an accident, you have very little protection compared to a car. That's a choice every biker makes and should fully understand. Cars and drivers are what they are. It would be awesome if every driver were perfect. That's not happening.

J

I'm calling BS --- last year you posted that you went to at least 4 Redskins training camp practices, which are held in Virginia. Which means you probably live in Virginia, too.

A quick glance at the Virginia Driver's Handbook (page 28) quickly confirms that signaling is a legal requirement. Page 39 of the West Virginia Driver's Handbook indicates that it is required in the other Virginia, too. Page 55 of the Maryland Driver's Handbook? Yep, legally required there too.

Any bets on if it's required in North Carolina? Yep, covered on page 51.

What else is near Virginia? How about Kentucky? They spell it out more clearly (and legally) than the others on page 30.

Maybe you drive in from Pennsylvania --- though I don't know how someone from PA could end up a 'Skins fan instead of the Eagles or Steelers...covered on page 35. Legally required there too.

Surely you don't live in Delaware, do you? Because according to page 62 of the Delaware Driver's Manual, it's required by law there too.

Chapter 4 of the Tennessee Driver's Handbook indicates that it's required, too.

This is getting tedious --- (and I'm not as bored as I thought I was) --- what state do you live in where it's not required?

Maybe he lives in DC smartguy.

Because I need my right hand to steer, and my left to flip you off.

How would using a blinker possibly reduce the risk of any of those accidents?

my only issue is with people who refer to a turn signal as a blinker.

Carry on.

Phrozen's a guy I could have a beer with.

if I am ever in Cincy I'll look you up.