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2.5 Communicating In Traffic

Other drivers will not know what you are going to do until you communicate your intentions.

Using Turn Signals

• Signal early. Signal well before you turn. It is the best way to keep others from trying to pass you.
• Signal continuously. You need both hands on the wheel to turn safely. Do not cancel the signal until you have completed the turn.
• Do not forget to turn off your turn signal after you have turned (if you do not have self-cancelling signals).
• Use your turn signal when changing lanes. Change lanes slowly and smoothly. A driver you did not see may have a chance to honk his/her horn or avoid your vehicle.

Using Lights and Horn

• Slowing down - If you need to slow down, warn drivers behind you with a few light taps on the brake pedal - enough to flash the brake lights. Use the four-way emergency flashers when you are driving very slow or are stopped.
• Tight turns - Most car drivers do not know how slow you have to go to make a tight turn in a large vehicle. Give drivers behind you warning by braking early and slowing gradually.
• Stopping on the road - Truck and bus drivers sometimes stop in the road to unload cargo or passengers or to stop at a railroad crossing. Warn following drivers by flashing your brake lights. Do not stop suddenly.
• Driving slowly - Drivers often do not realize how fast they are catching up to a slow vehicle until they are very close. If you must drive slowly, alert following drivers by turning on your emergency flashers if it is legal. (Laws regarding the use of flashers differ from one state to another. Check the laws of the states where you will drive).
• Passing - When you are about to pass a vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist, assume they do not see you. They could suddenly move in front of you. When it is legal, tap the horn lightly or, at night, flash your lights from low to highbeams and back. And drive carefully enough to avoid a crash even if they do not see or hear you. Some drivers try to help out others by signaling when it is safe to pass. You should not do this. You could cause an accident, you could be blamed, and it could cost you thousands of dollars.
• Being seen - At dawn or dusk or in rain or snow, make your vehicle easier to be seen by turning on your low-beam headlights. If you are having trouble seeing other vehicles, other drivers will have trouble seeing yours.
• Parking on side of road - When you pull off the road and stop, turn on the four-way emergency flashers, especially at night. Do not trust the taillights to give warning. Drivers have crashed into the rear of a parked vehicle because they thought it was moving normally. If you must stop on a road or the shoulder of any road, you must put out your emergency warning devices within 10 minutes. Place your warning devices at the following locations:
  • On a two-lane road carrying traffic in both directions or on an undivided highway, place warning devices within 10 feet of the front or rear corners to mark the location of the vehicle and 100 feet behind and ahead of the vehicle, on the shoulder or in the lane you are stopped in (see Figure 2-9 below).
  • Back beyond any hill, curve or other obstruction that prevents other drivers from seeing the vehicle within 500 feet (see Figure 2-10 below).
  • On or by a one-way or divided highway, place warning devices 10 feet, 100 feet and 200 feet toward the approaching traffic (see Figure 2-11 below).

When putting out the triangles, hold them between yourself and the oncoming traffic for your own safety (so other drivers can see you).

• Use your horn only when needed - Your horn can let others know you are there and help to avoid a crash. Use your horn when needed; however, it can startle others and could be dangerous when used unnecessarily.