What communications are critical for safe driving?

Communicating your intentions with other drivers and pedestrians on the road creates a friendly and safe driving environment for everyone. Here are some important benefits of good communication:

• The other road users can predict what you are going to do and be prepared and respond safely to your maneuvers.
• Avoid any confusion and, subsequently, a potential accident.
• You can alert them about a hazard or traffic situation to avoid accidents.

The communication devices of your car include: turn signals, brake lights, hazard lights, a flash of the headlights, and the horn. Sometimes you may communicate by waving or nodding.

• Turn Signals
Use turn signals every time you turn or change lanes.

• Brake Lights
Any time you brake, your brake lights come on to communicate with other drivers that they need to slow down. Therefore, it is important to make sure that your brake lights are working properly.  If you see a hazard ahead that you need to slow down, start slowing down early, so you allow the drivers behind you to be prepared and also slow down in a timely manner.

• Hazard Lights
Use these to warn drivers of trouble with your car or a hazard ahead

• Headlights
These should be used at night and during poor weather conditions; flashing your headlights is a way of communicating with another driver.

• Horn
Use your horn to warn other drivers of a potential hazard; a short honk is usually enough to get the attention of a driver.

Using Turn Signals
Always use your turn signals in order to create a friendly and safe driving environment for all road users. Remember to cancel your signal after turning.

Signal every time:

• at least 100 ft. before turning left or right, switching lanes, changing directions, slowing down or stopping or pulling over.  Caution! Even though you signal, do not automatically assume the space you want to occupy is clear.
• at least 5 seconds before changing lanes on the freeway.
• before pulling away from a curb or exiting a parking space.
• even when you do not see other vehicles.  A vehicle you do not see may suddenly appear and hit you.
• your turn signals do not work; use hand signals before turning or changing lanes. Use both hand signals and turn signals if bright sunlight makes it hard to see your signals.

Using Hand Signals

• Left Turn: The hand signal for a left turn is your left arm straight out to the side with your palm facing the ground.
• Right Turn: The hand signal for a right turn is your left arm bent at a 90-degree angle with your hand pointing up.
• Stop: The hand signal for a stop is your arm bent at a 90-degree angle with your hand pointing down.

Best Ways To Communicate With Other Drivers

Communicating with other drivers means letting them know your intent. It’s important to let the drivers around you, and even the pedestrians around you, know what you plan to do. That way, you avoid confusion at best, and a collision, at worst.

You communicate by using your car’s tools such as the headlights, indicator lights, hazard lights, brake lights, horn, and your car’s most important tool, you! Never underestimate the power of eye contact and body language. Say you want to merge into heavy traffic, you can either turn on your indicator light and just force your way in, or you can turn your indicator light on and try to catch the eye of the driver of the car that you want to get in front of to politely indicate that you’d like to merge. A courteous approach will more than likely get you into a different lane, not the bully approach.

Mirrors are also very important in communicating with other drivers – if you can’t see them in your mirror, either the rear view or side mirror, they can’t see you, either. Avoid sitting in another car’s blind spot – especially not a truck’s, with a huge blind spot – too many collisions happen because you aren’t seen.

Don’t forget to turn on your indicator lights when you are turning or switching lanes, and equally important, turn them off again when you’ve accomplished what you set out to do.

SIGNALS FOR DRIVERS AND BICYCLISTS Signal to other drivers when you plan to turn left or right, slow down, or stop. Signals must be given by signal lights on the vehicle. If your vehicle is not required to be and is not equipped with turn signals, then you must use hand-and-arm signals. Also, if your signal lights on your vehicle become inoperable, then you must use hand-and-arm signals. Watch for signals from other drivers.  Signal your left or right turn during the last 100 feet before reaching the turning point. At highway speeds, it is best to signal at least five seconds before you change lanes. If bright sunlight makes signal lights hard to see, use hand-and-arm signals also. Motorcyclists often use hand signals to make themselves more visible. Bicycle riders may give right turn signals with their right arm held straight out, pointing right.

AMENDS VEHICLE CODE SECTION 27602 Allows a person to drive a motor vehicle with a television receiver, video monitor, television or video screen, or any other similar means of visually displaying a television broadcast or video signal, if the equipment is designed, operated, and configured in a manner that prevents the driver of the motor vehicle from viewing the television broadcast or video signal while operating the vehicle in a safe and reasonable manner.

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