I did not know about soft turn signals until I saw this post.
I question why this feature exists. Drivers should be aiming to signal 10 seconds ahead. When making a lane change or turn, you should be keeping your signal on until the maneuver is completed. I can’t think of a circumstance where 3 blinks is enough. 1 blink looks more like a mistaken signal.
Law is 3 seconds here, which is a bit longer than 3, but not a lot. 10 can get ambiguous because there might be a street before the one you’re actually turning at, and then you’ll confuse others.
The 3 blinks is mostly just for roundabout exits though, at least for me. 3 seconds of blinking could mean 2 different exits. Again, confus.
My favorite blinker scenario locally is this really disgusting offramp/series of interchanges/spaghetti abomination thing on my way home from certain directions. I take every possible lane change and right turn for nearly 2 miles on this part of the route, so I just activate the blinker once and it stays on for a solid 3 minutes until it shuts off on its own.
Start on 2-lane 55mph turnpike with exit coming up on the right in ~.75 miles
right blinker goes on as the turnpike gradually widens to 5 lanes, adding new lanes on the right every ~.1 miles - I leave the blinker on as I hug the solid white and slip into each new lane as it comes
After .2 miles of being in the rightmost of the 5 lanes, I slip onto the exit ramp - blinker is still on (lol)
After another .1 miles, the ramp splits and I take the right side of the fork - blinker still on
Yet another fork after that where I stay to the right again
Another roadway merges in on the right which I have to cross in front of
Come up on a T intersection of the off-ramp with the surface street and, you guessed it, the blinker is STILL ON, and it’s another right turn for me
That last 90° turn is enough steering wheel rotation to trigger the automatic shutoff of the blinker coming out of the turn
I grin like an idiot and cackle with glee the rest of the way home as my partner in the passenger seat quietly shakes her head. Fucking glorious
Ten seconds of signaling is insane. If you have the room, put on the blinker, change lanes safely, then turn it off.
That’s nearly a quarter mile at freeway speed and more than an average block in the city. You might as well just keep it on the entire time you’re driving since nobody will know what you’re signaling.
I did not know about soft turn signals until I saw this post.
I question why this feature exists. Drivers should be aiming to signal 10 seconds ahead. When making a lane change or turn, you should be keeping your signal on until the maneuver is completed. I can’t think of a circumstance where 3 blinks is enough. 1 blink looks more like a mistaken signal.
Law is 3 seconds here, which is a bit longer than 3, but not a lot. 10 can get ambiguous because there might be a street before the one you’re actually turning at, and then you’ll confuse others.
The 3 blinks is mostly just for roundabout exits though, at least for me. 3 seconds of blinking could mean 2 different exits. Again, confus.
My favorite blinker scenario locally is this really disgusting offramp/series of interchanges/spaghetti abomination thing on my way home from certain directions. I take every possible lane change and right turn for nearly 2 miles on this part of the route, so I just activate the blinker once and it stays on for a solid 3 minutes until it shuts off on its own.
I can sorta imagine it, but also not. I think we need a video to laugh at
Maybe I’ll take a dashcam video. Seems like the sort of thing that belongs in dull men’s club.
three is good enough for lane changes on the freeway, sure 10 seconds would be optimal but it’s not always realistic
idk about 1 because I think it’s absurd too
I use the three blinks when exiting a roundabout.
Ten seconds of signaling is insane. If you have the room, put on the blinker, change lanes safely, then turn it off.
That’s nearly a quarter mile at freeway speed and more than an average block in the city. You might as well just keep it on the entire time you’re driving since nobody will know what you’re signaling.