Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
Turn signals are a thing of the past, or so it sometimes seems.
According to a recent study conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, drivers fail to use their blinkers when changing lanes nearly 50 percent of the time. Drivers also fail to use their blinkers when making a turn about a quarter of the time. That means that drivers fail to use their signals about 2 billion times a day or nearly 800 billion times a year, according to MSNBC.
Why is this?
Is it laziness, a lack of courtesy or poor training? Whatever the reasons, researchers say that the problem causes roughly 2 million car accidents every year. That’s about twice as many accidents as the near 1,000,000 that are linked to distracted driving.
“This is a first of its kind report on a subject that amazingly, has never been studied,” said Richard Ponziani, P.E., and author of the report.
Our Cape Coral auto accident attorneys understand that turn signals are such a simple and effective way to help to reduce the risks of accidents. Researchers say that there’s an alarming lack of compliance among most drivers on our roadways. Researchers say that drivers have an obligation to use these devices, just as they have an obligation to stop at a red light and at a stop sign.
Many believe that drivers don’t typically use blinkers because it’s not a top priority of law enforcement officers. They’re more focused on red-light runners, speeders and stop sign runners. Other than urging authorities to focus more on drivers’ use of the turn signal, researchers also suggest the use of the new “Smart Turn Signal.”
The “Smart Turn Signal” would be able to prevent accidents by turning off a driver’s turn signal after they’ve made a lane change. It would work much like how blinkers shut off after making a turn, only the car would do it after switching lanes.
For drivers who don’t use their turn signal in the first place, the “Smart Turn Signal” would work much like those seat belt reminders do. The vehicle would repeatedly beep and flash a little reminder if a driver continues to ignore turn signals.
According to Ponziani, the new system would be easier to use and would be less expensive than the mechanisms that are currently being used. He says that this new technology would be the perfect opportunity to help to reduce the risks for potentially fatal car accidents in addition to cutting down on the costs of vehicles and making drivers a lot more courteous and friendly across the country.
Turn signals have been proven effective in helping to reduce the risks of car accidents across the country. It’s getting drivers to habitually use their blinkers that’s proving to be the tough part. Safe driving habits should be everyone’s number one priority behind the wheel.
Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, is a law firm that’s dedicated to helping the victims of car accidents in Cape Coral, Naples, Fort Myers, Bonita Springs and elsewhere through Southwest Florida. Call us today to schedule a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights. Call us at 1-800-283-2900.
Additional Resources:
Turn signal neglect a real danger, study shows, by Paul A. Eisenstein, The Detroit Bureau
More Blog Entries:
Red-Light Cameras & Car Accidents in Fort Myers and Naples a Hot Topic of Debate, Florida Injury Lawyer Blog, March 16, 2012
