Why must you use signals when turning?
- To drive pedestrians out of your way
- To notify other drivers of your intentions ✓
- None of them
- To remind yourself of your intentions
Answer: B. To notify other drivers of your intentions
You signal when turning so other drivers know what you intend to do before you do it.
Why this is the answer
The handbook lists signaling your intentions among the habits that keep other drivers from becoming frustrated or angry, right alongside following the rules of the road and keeping a generous following distance. In the freeway sections it says to signal your intention before moving into traffic and before leaving the highway. In each case the signal is a message sent outward to the people around you so they can predict your move and react in time. Nothing in the handbook describes a signal as a way to clear pedestrians or as a note to yourself.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. To drive pedestrians out of your way — A signal is a message about your plans, not a tool for moving pedestrians out of your path, and nothing in the handbook treats it that way.
- C. None of them — This is wrong because the handbook does give a purpose for signaling: letting other road users know what you plan to do.
- D. To remind yourself of your intentions — The signal is aimed at the drivers around you, not at yourself, so it is not there to remind you of your own intentions.
Remember it
Think of the signal as talking to the drivers around you with your lights, so say your plan before you move.