Comments on: Didn’t use your turn signal? That’ll be $1,050, please!

By: www.SignalAmerica.org

www.SignalAmerica.org — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:19:33 +0000

WAKE UP AMERICAN DRIVERS

Every State has a law that requires drivers to turn on their turn signal before changing lanes. If these laws are obeyed, the number of unintended lane change crashes and road run-offs would be greatly reduced.

The NHTSA and the insurance industry have reported that unintended lane change crashes have been the direct cause of 23,000 annual fatalities on U.S. roadways. When drivers signal before making a lane change they give others on the road an extra split second of reaction time to adjust their driving. An extra split second is all that is needed to avoid the swerve that very frequently causes crashes and road run-offs. A person’s life can either be saved or lost in just a split second.

Please join our National Campaign for increased awareness and stronger enforcement of Turn Signal use!

Not using Turn Signals is at the root of over 1/2 the motor vehicle accidents that take place. IF we were to have a National Campaign like Click-it-or-Ticket, Turn Signal use would drastically decrease the number of accidents, Road Rage, Injuries, and Deaths.

Seat belts only help when an accident occurs, Turn Signals actually prevent accidents.

Come on people connect the dots, I know you have the capacity to understand what the root cause of most motor vehicle accidents.

By: Nancy

Nancy — Tue, 10 Jul 2007 17:33:53 +0000

I don’t have as much of a problem with people failing to signal to turn as I do with people who abruptly swerve from one lane to another without using turn signals to advertise their reckless driving in advance. Does this law apply to them, since technically they aren’t “turning” but merely changing lanes?

I’m also a bit behind the times in learning about the new fines regarding the turn signal law, since TV news in Virginia was far more concerned with letting us know that under-18 drivers can’t be using cell phones while driving. TV seemed to completely ignore the law that affects ALL drivers, regardless of age.

By: Scott

Scott — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 14:13:53 +0000

Actually failure to signal has always been against the law, but I didn’t know it was reckless driving. I had a buddy who was pulled over for an illegal lane change because his wheels touched the lane division line and he didn’t signal. He had been drinking, the cop knew it (saw him pull out of a bar parking lot,) but he wasn’t driving bad enough to pull over until he drifted into the line.

Also, these civil penalties were passed to raise revenue for road construction and repair, which is badly needed in Virginia. My only gripe with them is that they won’t apply to out-of-state drivers that get ticketed in Virginia. We have a lot of non-residents that drive here (military with cars registered in other states, commuters from NC, and tourists) and they are the worst offenders.

The other problem I have is with the state Dept. of Transportation in general, and that is they are just now trying to fund work that needed to be done 15 years ago. I think traffic, at least in the Hampton Roads region, is beyond fixing.

And while we’re tacking on fines and penalties, could we please add a hefty fine for folks who ride their brake pedal? How do I know if you’re stopping or slowing down if your bloody brake light is always on?

By: Shaking my head

Shaking my head — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 13:02:57 +0000

The debate about the radio is absolutely silly. Let’s assume that there is some additional fuel used, how much could that even be? Pennies per year maybe? Meanwhile, people pay $.99 on iTunes per song, subscribe to satilite radio at $12 per month, and buy CDs that contain more plastic in the packaging than used to make the actual CD. Don’t forget the folks that sit in their running, air conditioned cars in the parking lot for an extra few minutes in order to hear how a bit on Howard Stern will end. You know who you are.

If you want to listen to music while you drive, do it. If not, then don’t.

Hey, maybe people should have less sex to reduce CO2 production and slow global warming. Don’t believe me? Chemistry is no my side.

And, oh yes, use your turn signal. If the bulb blows, use hand signals until it’s fixed.

By: Nichole

Nichole — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 08:13:29 +0000

I think it’s clear why this bill was passed. The fellow that introduced it is a senior partner in a TRAFFIC LAW FIRM. Interesting that he was so eager for this bill, considering he will get buckets of customers who want to avoid the fees by fighting it in court. It’s totally shady, not to mention exploitative of the poor. I hope virginians wake up to this and never elect this guy again.

Here’s Radley Balko’s take: http://www.theagitator.com/archives/027900.php#027900

By: gc

gc — Mon, 02 Jul 2007 01:37:11 +0000

a) Yes. The more load that’s on the alternator, the harder it is for the engine to turn it.
b) It is the drivers responsibility to maintain their vehicle. It might be a $1 lightbulb, but it is an important safety feature.
c) In my state, and probably all the other ones, the law says how many feet from an intersection or lane change you are supposed to signal your intent. Not vague at all.
d) Don’t want Virginia to “steal” your money? Operate your vehicle in a lawful manner.

By: magic8ball

magic8ball — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 23:11:26 +0000

Failure to signal is such a horribly ambiguous offense, as well – note that it says “A person shall be guilty of reckless driving who fails to give adequate and timely signals of intention to turn.” You could use your turn signal and still get ticketed if the officer determined that you didn’t signal soon enough, for example. It’s the kind of law that’s just asking to be abused.

By: GearheadGeek

GearheadGeek — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 16:32:58 +0000

to the posters commenting on whether or not electrical power from a car’s alternator is wasted as heat if it’s not used, you’re not thinking in modern terms. A GENERATOR (like that driven by a water wheel cited by one of the posters) produces power as a fairly simple function of the design of that generator and the RPM at which it’s operating. An alternator, however, has a variable field that’s managed by the regulation system. An alternator can’t produce any power unless it has some electrical power when it begins spinning to set up the field, it doesn’t have the permanent magnets that a generator does. The field strength at a particular RPM determines how much power is produced. Most cars will drop a few RPM when you turn on the headlights, for example, because it’s harder for the car to turn the alternator when it’s producing enough power to heat the filaments in the bulbs.

As to the Virginia fine crap, well, you Virginians elected those people. Kick them out. Get their hands out of your pockets.

By: sane

sane — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:50:14 +0000

C’mon Sees Things, why pussy foot around the issue. You know this is just another way to take away all assetts from the middle class before escorting them into the Halliburton/Cheney Concentration Camps.

Why tease these guys with the shallow stuff?

By: sane

sane — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 15:49:14 +0000