You’re headed south on Purchase Street in town and approach Elm Place, where you want to make a right hand turn.

 

You’re headed south on Purchase Street in town and approach Elm Place, where you want to make a right hand turn.

 

As you approach the stop sign, with a vehicle about 30 feet behind yours and another approaching from the other direction, you will:

 

A) Try to decide whether you’d rather have a Longford’s peppermint cone or a red velvet cupcake from 360°.

 

B) Wonder which kind of Lottery ticket to get at the Smoke Shop; You’re feeling lucky.

 

C) Take the time to send/read just one more text.

 

D) Know that the law requires you to always indicate a turn by giving an appropriate signal.

 

Drivers who choose any answer except “d” are breaking the law. Indicating a turn is not optional; it is mandatory.

 

NYS Vehicle and Traffic Law states:

 

Section 1163 (b): “A signal of intention to turn right or left when required shall be given continuously during not less than the last one hundred feet traveled by the vehicle before turning.”

 

Section 1164 (b): Any motor vehicle in use on a highway shall be equipped with, and required signal shall be given by, signal lamps…”

 

Well, duh, some might say; however, neglecting to use turn signals seems to have become epidemic on city streets and on I-95, where it is the rare exception for the vehicle ahead of you to bother indicating its exit.

 

According to Tonia Cipriano, Chief Clerk of Rye Municipal Court,  the local fine for failure to indicate a turn is $100, plus a mandatory $80 NYS surcharge and 3 points on your license.

 

For novices, shocked to be reading about this, the handle protruding from the left side of the steering wheel is that ingenious tool which operates automatic turn signal lamps. Here’s the truly amazing thing: they work for both left and right hand turns! Really!