Turn signal woes (or how not to get hit by traffic)

[airbiscuit]

Not exactly a turn signal light.

 

[dnw64]

Not exactly a turn signal light.

Did you watch the video?

I do think the flashers mask the turn signals (even if one is disabled) - just doesn't look different enough.

If there is no oncoming traffic, I start to ease my tractor into the left hand lane so it is obvious I am turning. by the time I get to the intersection, I am full in the left hand lane so they can pass me on the right. That's an old school farmer turn signal.

 

[airbiscuit]

Two different things. One is a lighted billboard, the other is a turn signal light. Then again, it is legal to pass on a double yellow in Vermont.

 

[kthompson]

No the driver that hit me was not brother to officer. The driver moved to rural area from large city and the rules of driving there. Also the habits. The officer was guilty of having preconceived options on tractors and I think due to only being officer for two years a failure to investigate properly. He told me the person followed me at I think he said 5 mph as we know tractors can only run about 15 mph around a curve and then speed up to 15 mph to pass me. I replied sir I came around that curve over an hour ago so no way he followed me and I was running 5.7 mph when he hit me and if he been running only 10 mph more than me why did he run off the road through the ditch and back on? BTW my tractor will run 22 mph, it has digital speedometer on it.
He even admitted he called to ask who to charge in the accident, so an officer who was not there told him to charge the tractor.

We are in very much a farming area with the big sprayers, tractors with disk that are wider than a lane and of course combines with headers wider than two lanes. It seems the big ones people realize they can not pass but when a tractor is within a lane or just over a lane wide they treat it different. Realize auto and tractor accidents do kill many every year. Yes drivers today are different than just a few years back, amazes me how many race to the next red light.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Tomorrow I am picking up a new (refurbished) STAR Headlight mini LED light bar. It has 27 (or so) flash patterns. How STUPID! Is anybody supposed to know what the flicking, alternating, flashing, pulsating patterns are supposed to mean. All, only because they can. And 27 flash patterns is infinitely better then 25 to your average mindless consumer.

 

[dnw64]

Two different things. One is a lighted billboard, the other is a turn signal light.

My point is that when you're following a moving vehicle down the road, at what point does it change from being a "turn signal light" to a "moving billboard" (i.e. Call to Action)? 4" high? 6" high?? 12" high??? 24" high???? 36" high?????

 

[dnw64]

Tomorrow I am picking up a new (refurbished) STAR Headlight mini LED light bar. It has 27 (or so) flash patterns. How STUPID! Is anybody supposed to know what the flicking, alternating, flashing, pulsating patterns are supposed to mean. All, only because they can. And 27 flash patterns is infinitely better then 25 to your average mindless consumer.

I'm not sure I understand. Are you picking this up (and presumably installing it on your machine) willingly, under protest, as a direct order from your commanding occifer, or what?

 

[arizona98tj]

Maybe your State is different. In Vermont, and may others, it is not illegal to pass on solid yellow lines.

Minnesota is apparently different than Vermont. Here, a solid yellow line makes it illegal to pass so as I said, he/she was breaking the law.

Just curious, what are solid yellow lines used for in Vermont? Or don't they have them?

 

[arizona98tj]

My point is that when you're following a moving vehicle down the road, at what point does it change from being a "turn signal light" to a "moving billboard" (i.e. Call to Action)? 4" high? 6" high?? 12" high??? 24" high???? 36" high?????

If a driver can't tell the difference between a turn signal and a moving billboard, that person is a good candidate for public transportation where more skilled operators can make those challenging decisions.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Hmm I get your point I think but personally I do have a hard time confusing a turn signal and a bill board change lane type of sign.

 

[bcp]

But the unthinking driver sees only a large piece of equipment blocking the road, with a blinking left light. So he goes around.

Bruce

 

[Magicman710]

Certainly insightful to read all of the commentary that this thread has generated.

For now I think I will simply start turning my flashers off for a few seconds before activating the turn signal, and move towards the center line if necessary.

 

[paulfun9]

I was hit this pass October while making left hand turn with turn signal and flashers on in no passing zone and was charged. Patrol said even in no passing zone the driver making the left turn had the responsibility to verify it was safe.

Since then I use AGRIMAN's method, slowly taking the lane.

You should have fought it! I have been hit in this same manner in a car once and they wrote several fines out to the offending driver but not one with my name on it. So I just don't understand what the cop could have possibly charged you with that could be made to stick.

 

[paulfun9]

The company across the street lets me use their dock to receive freight. Today was waiting to cross street with pallet of boxes. Car stopped to let me cross. Car behind him tried to zoom around him on the right. did a panic stop when saw the tractor. Given how much the car front end dropped when braking he was going much faster then the posted 30 MPH.

I have almost hit a couple cars that passed me (double yellow line) because I paused to let pedestrian get by my driveway before I turned left in to it.

More accidents have been caused by people giving up the right away to someone else than most realize. If someone tries to hold up traffic to give me the right away I just sit there and look at them but wont move! I'd rather see them get rear ended then take the right away when its not mine!
I never could understand the logic in stopping in the road with a 45 or 50 MPH speed limit with cars coming up behind at speed just to wave someone out This is a common occurrence out here for some reason and I have watched 3 people get rear ended last year alone. This weekend as I was waiting to leave the grocery store I almost got to see an other one but the 2 cars approaching skidded to a stop just before hitting the dummy sitting in the road waving everyone out that was going left. He had enough room to turn into the parking lot with two tractor trailers side by side and never got even remotely close to the cars waiting to turn left. Driving is no place for being nice or neighborly but rather a place for following the set rules and taking the right away when its yours because when you don't it just confuses the good drivers and causes accidents.

 

[dnw64]

Just curious, what are solid yellow lines used for in Vermont? Or don't they have them?

Broken lines indicate that it IS safe to pass. Solid lines indicate that it MAY be safe to pass. It's up to the driver to determine whether or not it's safe based on particulars. Many secondary roads have solid lines only, even where there are long straight stretches.

 

[SteveM70]

If someone tries to hold up traffic to give me the right away I just sit there and look at them but wont move! I'd rather see them get rear ended then take the right away when its not mine!

Good idea! Then you will have plenty of time to pull out and go about your business while the road is shut down until Emergency Service workers can clean up the mess.

 

[scdeerslayer]

This is why one of the first things I did with my new tractor was add mirrors. I have one place where I make a left turn like that. Thankfully is seems that probably 2/3 to 3/4 of the time I have to stop and wait for oncoming traffic before turning. There is also a good straightaway before getting there so the most of the other times they have already gone around me.

 

[scdeerslayer]

More accidents have been caused by people giving up the right away to someone else than most realize. If someone tries to hold up traffic to give me the right away I just sit there and look at them but wont move! I'd rather see them get rear ended then take the right away when its not mine!
I never could understand the logic in stopping in the road with a 45 or 50 MPH speed limit with cars coming up behind at speed just to wave someone out This is a common occurrence out here for some reason and I have watched 3 people get rear ended last year alone. This weekend as I was waiting to leave the grocery store I almost got to see an other one but the 2 cars approaching skidded to a stop just before hitting the dummy sitting in the road waving everyone out that was going left. He had enough room to turn into the parking lot with two tractor trailers side by side and never got even remotely close to the cars waiting to turn left. Driving is no place for being nice or neighborly but rather a place for following the set rules and taking the right away when its yours because when you don't it just confuses the good drivers and causes accidents.

I've never known of anyone to stop to let someone out like that. Usually they have to stop anyway, then let someone out before continuing. What ticks me off really bad is when somebody in one lane lets somebody in, then they have to wait for other lanes to clear, and then they are holding up the lane once it gets going again. Similarly what I absolutely hate is when somebody makes a right turn, then has to wait to turn left into a corner store when they could have went straight and turned right into the store, and also the ones that will hold up traffic trying to make a left turn just past a red light through the line of cars stopped at the light instead of going 1/4 mile down the road and turning around.

 

[PILOON]

Problem today is that folks all want to get there before they leave,
Just yesterday I judged timing and merged into traffic and guess I PO'd of the driver and he rode my bumper giving me the finger.
He then passed me and slammed his brakes, again with the vertical finger.
He indicated a left turn I passed on his right and he swung over to ram me and then simply parked blocking my passage.
Definitely an serious attitude problem.
That is the time that I wished I still drove my 3/4 ton with the 5" H beam bumpers rather than my family sedan as things might have been a tad different, like I'd have been less timid. LOL.

 

[TractorGuy]

In FL you are allowed to cross over a double yellow line if an obstruction exists in the right lane and you can see a safe distance to proceed around it. I can't find it right now but somewhere I read the definition of obstruction was any item or vehicle that was stationery or traveling at less than half the speed limit such as a tractor or bicycle.

I was cited for an accident when I was younger for a driver turning into me while I was legally passing him. The driver was on a first name basis with the officer that wrote me the ticket which helped in my defense. I saw one blink before he turned into me. I fought it and got the ticket thrown out and the insurance companies called it a draw. His paid for his and mine paid for mine.

The last crash I was involved in was due to drivers allowing a vehicle to pass through traffic to turn left through two lanes of traffic. Problem was I was coming down a turn lane to turn right and the car turning through could not see me nor could I see them. There was less than two car lengths to stop when they appeared in front of me. I slammed right into their passenger door totaling their car. The passenger was lucky to escape without injury. I had the right of way so they were cited and their insurance had to pay for my vehicle damage.