You’ve probably been frustrated before when someone else didn’t use their blinker. Maybe they cut you off on the interstate. Maybe you were waiting for cross traffic when a vehicle suddenly turned right down the same road, and you could’ve just pulled out and turned at any time if they would have put their blinker on first.
Unfortunately, many people do not use their blinker lights to indicate their intentions to the drivers around them. This can certainly lead to serious car accidents because of this miscommunication. So why do drivers take this risk?
They just forget
In some cases, it’s unintentional. The driver simply forgets. This is still very dangerous and negligent, but it’s not as if they are doing it on purpose.
They’re turning right
In the example above, a driver may not use their blinker when they’re turning right because they don’t think they need to. If they’re turning left, they have to let cars around them know that they are going to stop and then cross oncoming lanes, but that is not necessary with a right-hand turn. As you can see, though, it can still be problematic.
They didn’t see any other cars
Interestingly, some drivers will simply look around and see if there is any traffic near them. If not, then they won’t use their blinker. To them, this feels safe because there is no one to broadcast their intentions to in the first place. But it’s a dangerous habit to fall into because all it takes is one oversight – not seeing an approaching car – to cause an accident.
Have you been injured?
If you’ve been injured by a negligent driver, be sure you know exactly what legal steps you can take. You may deserve compensation for medical bills and other costs.