When should you use your vehicle's turn signals?

Using your vehicle's turn signals is essential for safe driving and communication on the road. The correct answer, indicating that you should use your turn signals to express your intention to change lanes or turn, highlights the primary purpose of these signals. They serve as a critical tool for alerting other drivers of your actions, helping to prevent accidents and ensuring that everyone on the roadway understands your movements.

Driver awareness is significantly increased when you're signaling properly. It allows other vehicles and pedestrians to anticipate your next move, contributing to safer navigation, especially in busy or complex driving environments. Ignoring this practice can lead to confusion and misjudgment from other drivers, possibly resulting in collisions.

The other options undermine the fundamental responsibility of signaling. For example, only using turn signals when another car is present suggests that they are optional, which is not the case; they are mandatory whenever a turning or lane change is intended. Additionally, limiting their use to scenarios where you are driving over 50 mph or only at traffic lights reduces their effectiveness in more everyday driving situations, where signaling is equally essential. Thus, the emphasis on signaling during any turn or lane change helps ensure a safer driving environment for everyone.