Aug. 5th, 2012

A new study done in the USA  says that not using, or improperly using turn signals is responsible for as many as 2 million crashes annually.

According to research by the Society of Automotive Engineers, drivers either neglect to use their signals when changing lanes – or fail to turn the signals off about 48% of the time.  And when making a turn the failure rate is around 25%.  That works out to 2 billion times a day when drivers fail to use their signals, or 750 billion times annually.

But why aren’t people using them? Maybe they are just Lazy. Maybe they need more training. Maybe they just don’t care about others on the road.  It really doesn’t take much effort to extend your finger and flick the signal. Many drivers don’t seem to have any problem extending their finger at other drivers in a different signalling gesture. Whatever the reason, the SAE study says the problem results in about 2 million collisions annually.  That’s more than twice the 950,000 collisions attributed to distracted driving, which has become one of the largest concerns for drivers and law makers across North America.

“This is a first of its kind report on a subject that amazingly, has never been studied,” said Richard Ponziani, P.E., President of RLP Engineering and author of the report. Yet, despite the fact that turn signals are simple, ubiquitous and “extremely effective,” there is an epidemic lack of compliance even though “all drivers have an ongoing duty to use it, just as they have a duty to stop at a stop sign or at a red light.”

Anecdotal evidence suggests that police put little effort into enforcement, less than they devote to speeding, or running stop signs and red lights.  Other than shifting priorities, the new study suggests an alternative that it dubs the “Smart Turn Signal.”

They “are the perfect complement to the Stability Control System since Stability Control predominately prevents single-vehicle crashes, whereas the Smart Turn Signal prevents multi-vehicle crashes,” suggested Ponziani.

Such a system would automatically shut off a turn signal, likely by timing out after a set delay or by detecting when a vehicle has finished changing lanes – much as today’s cars automatically cancel the signals after making a turn at an intersection.

For scofflaws who simply don’t use their signals, the system would work much like a seatbelt reminder.  It would be able to sense if drivers routinely ignore their turn signals and start to flash what the study calls a “friendly” reminder.

Using the latest electronics, a Smart Turn Signal system would actually be simpler and less expensive than the current mechanical trip mechanism, according to Ponziani, a press release concluding that, “This breakthrough represents a perfect opportunity to significantly reduce multi-vehicle crash rates, reduce vehicle cost and make driving a lot more friendly and courteous across the U.S.”