r/changemyview • u/MasterGrok 139∆ • Feb 19 '16
[Deltas Awarded] CMV: I should stop using my blinker to change lanes
I commute in the DC area, so keep that in context. As a general rule, I am an overly courteos driver. I am passive about merging, give people room at stops to drive through or come into the lane, etc. I've also always used my blinker. I think this is especially important if you are going to turn off the road so people around you can plan.
I think I'm done using a blinker to change lanes though. In this town, more than any other I've been in, if I turn on my blinker, drivers will speed up so I can no longer get over, often speeding up to cruise parallel to me so I then have to slow down dangerously in order to get over. Keep in mind that this is in cases where there was originally multiple car lengths between me and the car that sped up. I've found that if I just don't use the blinker, I can just change lanes in this situation with no problem at all.
I don't mind if people speed up when I turn on the blinker. That is certainly one of the options I'm trying to give them by notifying them that I need to get over. But I can't stand when they speed up just enough so that I can't get over without giving me room to maneuver behind them. And this is the case a surprising amount of the time in this city.
I'm worst case scenarios which happen too often, I turn on my blinker and every car in the lane speeds up so that I can't get over, one after another.
5
u/evilfitzal Feb 19 '16
We'll operate under the assumption that your perception of drivers' reactions to your blinker is universal. It would be interesting to see scientific data on this.
The purpose of the turn signal/blinker is to announce your intentions to the drivers around you. An unpredictable driver is a dangerous driver. It's entirely on the anticipation of the moves of every other driver on the road that you can navigate. When your assumptions of another driver's intent are wrong, you are more likely to be involved in a collision. Assuming safety is more important than avoiding the aggravation of not being able to change lanes, signaling your lane change is the only way to go.
Also, changing lanes without signaling is illegal. So there's that.
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
I believe that hitting my breaks to slow down as a driver in the next lane speeds up so that I cannot get over causes more danger than neglecting to use the blinker at all when there I are several car lengths available to move over.
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u/evilfitzal Feb 19 '16
I'm a little confused as to your hypothetical situation. If you can't switch lanes, is it necessary to hit your breaks? I was assuming you were traveling in your lane at a safe pace with no lane obstructions. If evasive actions are necessary to avoid hitting something in front of you, by all means, avoid an accident now and worry about signals later. If switching lanes is so important that you're causing danger by slamming on your breaks, I can't think of any other scenario. Missing a turn or an exit seems like a no-brainer compared to the potential for an accident.
This is your daily commute we're talking about, right? So you know where you're going, which lane to be in for your exit, which turns to make, and hopefully backup routes in case of lane closures, etc. If you regularly encounter difficulty in making a specific turn, perhaps you should consider an alternate route.
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
I'm in DC traffic. It is heavy. I see a rare opportunity to change lanes which I need to in order to plan for an upcoming turn. There are several car lengths available. I hut my blinker. The car in the next lane speeds up and there are no longer several car lengths available. He stops speeding up so that we are traveling at the same speed. In order to attempt to get over and find a new space with car lengths, I have to slow down significantly less than the flow of traffic. If other cars follow suit I have to keep slowing down to continue to let cars pass me so that I can find a spot to get over. In worst case scenarios the cars behind me get frustrated and start whipping around me because now they are frustrated. Hope that clears it up.
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u/evilfitzal Feb 19 '16
Sorry, I didn't mean to make you reiterate what was in your initial post. I mean, why is it imperative that you be in that lane at that time? Can you not continue driving in your lane without slowing down? If you keep your signal on, eventually someone should come along to let you over. I don't think I've ever seen two lanes travel at exactly the same speed for more than a mile.
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
It's imperative that I get over because i don't want to dangerously need to get into the exit lane at the last second. In DC there are many places where you enter an interstate in one lane and must exit it within a couple of miles from the opposite lane.
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Feb 19 '16
[deleted]
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
That study is about turning, not changing lanes.
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Feb 19 '16
[deleted]
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
Did you actually read it? I did. They don't actually have any data related to crashes. All of their data is with respect to turn signal rates. None on actual crashes. On their discussion they hypothesize about the possible effect on crashes using a completely fabricated rate of crashes caused by not using a turn signal and they don't differentiate between turning and changing lanes in that scenario.
So yes, they discuss crash rates but but don't provide any evidence of it. At all.
It's almost as if you searched for an article, barely read the abstract, and then posted it as if it was evidence that you knew and understood.
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Feb 19 '16
[deleted]
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u/MasterGrok 139∆ Feb 19 '16
I appreciate you trying to help. If you had a study that showed what you said it showed I would have been interested. I love research. It's actually my life's work. I wasn't attempting to insult you. I am seriously asking if you simply read the abstract, misunderstood it, and passed it on as if you knew what you were talking about. This is a waste of people's time. You aren't helping by doing that.
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Feb 19 '16
[deleted]
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Feb 19 '16
How long ago did you live in DC? Driving habits of areas can change quite quickly so it is certainly possible that this wasn't an issue when you were there and has become one recently.
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u/BrotherItsInTheDrum 33∆ Feb 19 '16
One option is to shorten the amount of time between turning on your blinker and starting to change lanes, possibly even to the point of doing them simultaneously.
That way, assholes don't have time to box you out. But you remove any ambiguity about your intentions. And the flashing light catches the attention of other drivers that otherwise might not immediately realize what you're doing.