That Lever Is for Your Turn Signals

It seems pretty simple. Drivers change lanes and direction all the time, and it’s best if nearby drivers have some warning. So, these days they make vehicles with little blinking lights for just that purpose. Ingeniously, they call these gizmos “blinkers.”

We know that some of you--granted, a small percentage--are aware of this already. Most every day we get calls and letters from this righteously indignant minority who bemoan the lost art of signaling turns. They can envision a better world, one where blinkers go on and off and on all the time. Take Mary Loynes, a Newport Beach driver who was simmering when she phoned us last week.

“I can not stand it when I’m sitting there, waiting, like an idiot, to make a left turn and I’m trying to be nice and polite and the oncoming car doesn’t signal their plan to turn. . . . I’m sitting there for hours and hours and hours waiting for them. Then they turn in front of me. It makes me furious!”

Mary, we sense your frustration. Trust us, you are not alone. Last week our Callbox reader survey asked readers to name the worst habits of Southern California drivers. By midweek, we thought the voicemail circuits were going to melt. Forgive us for pointing this out, but you folks are carrying around a lot of anger. And nothing, according to our highly scientific survey, makes you madder than The Missing Blink.

“Why automobile manufactures bother to put signals on cars. I don’t know,” Sidney DeLott of Mission Viejo told us. “Nobody is using them. The DMV would be better off making people use hand signals.”

More hand signals. That’s what the freeway needs. An hour after we talked to Sidney we got an e-mail from Bonnie Bora down in Laguna Hills. She wonders why the turn signal is part of the Southern California culture of self-expression.

“Drivers are perfectly willing to display their most personal beliefs on their license plates and bumper stickers, but are strangely reluctant to share with other drivers that they are interested in making a lane change,” Bora wryly notes. “Apparently that information is too personal.”

Another Laguna Hills resident, Ruth Warsinger, left a message on the Callbox pointing out that blinker abuse goes beyond simple neglect. “There are many drivers who put on their signal and forget to turn it off. They just leave it blinking . . . and then others make unexpected moves without signaling at all. What to do? I don’t know . . . .”

All we can do is vent, Ruth. Your own humble Roads Scholar has his own pet peeve--the people who actually do use their blinker to announce a turn, but wait until they are in full brake to do it. Fat lot of good that does the driver behind you. The blinker is intended to give advance notice, so don’t even bother to use it if you are already in the process of turning, OK?

Wow, that felt good.

THAT’S THE TICKET: From the Department of Useless Knowledge, we bring you New York cabby Jacob German and his claim to roadway fame. It was 99 years ago this month that German, behind the wheel of taxi No. 1565 for the Electric Vehicle Co., became the first driver ever arrested for speeding, according to our trusty copy of “Famous First Facts.”

The arresting officer, Roundsman Schuessler, said he caught German racing at breakneck speeds on Lexington Avenue, so he booked the hapless hack at the East 22nd Street station house. How fast was too fast in 1899? German was chugging along at 12 mph when the officer--who was riding a bicycle--took him to the curb.

Amazing how things change. Imagine if German were alive today and could marvel at the rush hour traffic on the Riverside Freeway whizzing by at speeds of--about 12 mph.

TIP OF THE WEEK: After blinker blunders, the topic generating the most angst among our readers appears to be cellular phone users chatting away instead of minding the road. For you guilty gabbers, we ask that you put that scintillating conversation on hold for a moment and consider some simple safety tips to protect yourself--and those angry people who always seem to be driving behind you:

* Do not take notes or look things up while driving. If you need to do these tasks, exit the roadway and stop in a safe parking lot. Do not, however, stop on the freeway shoulder--it’s for real emergencies.

* Most phones have memory and you should remember to use it. Having frequently dialed numbers on a quick-dial memory will help you keep your eyes on the road.

* If you know you are going to use your vehicle as an office, invest in a hands-free car phone so you can wheel and deal a little more safely.

The Roads Scholar wants to hear your insights, stories and questions about traffic, the commuting experience and Orange County transportation issues.

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Call Geoff Boucher at (714) 966-5724, send e-mail to him at geoff.boucher@latimes.com or mail letters to Geoff Boucher, c/o The Roads Scholar, The Times Orange County, P.O. Box 2008, Costa Mesa, CA 92626. Please include your full name, city of residence and phone number.

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THE CALLBOX

LAST WEEK’S QUESTION: What is the worst habit of Southern California drivers?

“Talking on the telephone while driving. I actually one time saw a man eating an ice cream cone and talking on the phone. How he was driving, I have no idea.”

--Janice McCarter, Orange

“I’ve seen it for years: The slow people who do not stay to the right

--Ron Karam, Fullerton

“Drivers who feel the need to compete. . . . why can’t people drive with civilized cooperation?”

--Art Stanlow, Costa Mesa

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION: Has Orange County traffic congestion improved or worsened in the past few years?

Phone in your comments to The Callbox at (714) 966-5724 or send e-mail to geoff.boucher@latimes.com