So You’ve Decided to Start Using Your Turn Signal: Now What?
Recently, you happened to notice that stick coming out of your steering wheel thingy. You pushed it either up or down and it made a rhythmic ticking noise and a little arrow light on your dashboard started to blink, both experiences you found pleasant. It may surprise you to learn that this action also caused lights on the outside of your car that indicate to other motorists, as well as bicyclists and pedestrians, your intention to execute a turn at some point. In spite of the fact that this benefits other people besides yourself, you’ve decided you want to keep doing it.
Congratulations! You’re now part of a relatively small but dedicated community: people who use their turn signals. There are just a few things you need to know as you move forward…
You’re raising the expectations of other people – That’s right. As stated above, this isn’t entirely about you. Other drivers are going to see the blinking lights and assume you plan to execute a turn. You owe it to these other people to eventually do that.
Sometimes the signal doesn’t turn itself off – Usually, when you complete a successful turn, your car resets the signal and turns it off, but not always. The reason for that is cars are stupid. When that happens, you have the added responsibility of turning it off yourself. Of course, you have the option of just leaving it on until next time if you feel like doing that instead.
If it ever malfunctions – it’s not your fault. It probably just means the fluid level is a little low and needs to be topped off. It’s something that just happens, especially to older and newer and in-between models. It’s an easy fix; just stop by the auto parts dealer of your choice and ask for some blinker fluid. It’s pretty inexpensive, they all carry it and will gladly sell it to you and help you fill the reservoir. After that, you’re probably good for at least three years or so. Yeah, just do that. That’ll be good. And be sure to tell them where you got that tip. They’ll appreciate it.
