Study Shows That Turn-Signal Neglect is Dangerous

We think that motorists should simply, you know, actually use their turn signals correctly, but we know that's an uphill battle.

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lmost every driver has at one time or another been angered by a fellow motorist who didn't use a turn signal, and with good reason: a new study shows that non-use of turn signals can lead to as many as two million car accidents per year.

The study, conducted by the Society of Automotive Engineers, shows that drivers fail to use their turn signals (or to turn them off after using them) 48 percent of the time when changing lanes and 25 percent of the time when turning. That adds up to two billion failures daily and 750 billion annually.

This could happen to you if you don't use your turn signal.

The SAE suggests that perhaps automakers should implement an automatic turn signal system that uses lane-change detection software to turn off the signals and "friendly" reminders to encourage drivers who don't use them to actually do so. Study authors also suggest that police make enforcement of turn-signal use a higher priority.

We think that motorists should simply, you know, actually use their turn signals correctly, but we know that's an uphill battle—just like getting drivers to put down the phone.

[Source: MSNBC]