Cal-Driver-Ed.Com

Use Your Horn

• Use your horn when necessary to avoid accidents. Don’t honk at other times.

• Try to get “eye contact” with other drivers. Tap your horn to alert another driver who might turn in front of you.

• On narrow mountain roads, drive as far to the right as possible and sound your horn where you cannot see at least 200 feet ahead.

Don't Use Your Horn

• If a driver is going slowly, don’t honk just to make him or her hurry. The driver may be ill, lost, or may be having problems with the car.

• Never honk if slowing or stopping your car will prevent an accident. It’s safer to use the brakes than push the horn.

• Don’t honk simply to show other drivers that they have made a mistake. Your honking may upset them so much that they may make more mistakes.

• Never honk because you are angry or upset.

Use Your Headlights

• When it is cloudy, raining, snowing, or foggy.

• On frosty mornings when other drivers’ windows may be icy or “foggy.”

• Any time you have trouble seeing other cars. Other drivers will be having trouble seeing you, too.

• On small country or mountain roads, it is a good idea to drive with your headlights on, even on sunny days. This will help other drivers see you and may help you avoid a head-on crash.

Under certain circumstances, you may have to flash your headlights to get another driver’s attention.

Use Your Emergency Signals

If your car breaks down on the road, make sure that other drivers can see it. Many accidents happen because a driver didn’t see a stalled vehicle until it was too late to stop. If you are having car trouble, and need to stop, follow these rules:

• Pull off the road away from all traffic, if possible.

• If you cannot get completely off the road, stop where people can see you and your car from behind. Don’t stop just over a hill or just around a curve.

• Turn on your emergency flashers if you see a hazard or accident is ahead. Also, use your emergency flashers if you are not moving. If your car doesn’t have flashers, turn signals may be used instead.

• If it is safe, lift the hood to signal an emergency.

• Give other drivers plenty of warning. Place emergency flares or triangles 200 to 300 feet behind the car. This allows other drivers time to change lanes, if necessary. Be very careful when using flares. They may cause fires, especially when used near flammable liquids.

• If you don’t have emergency flares, follow the rules listed above and stay in your vehicle until help arrives. Be careful for your safety and stay off the road. Remember, don’t even try to change a tire if it means you have to stand in a traffic lane.

Signal When You Change Direction

Drivers signal:

• To let other drivers know their plans.

• Before pulling next to (or away from) the curb.

• Before turning or changing lanes. Use arm signals or the signal lights on your car. On sunny days, signal lights may be hard to see. If the sun is bright, use arm signals as well as signal lights. Caution—Even though you signal, do not automatically assume that the space you wish to occupy is clear. Look over your shoulder to check your blind spot, before making a lane change.

• During the last 100 feet before turning or at least five seconds before changing lanes on the freeway.

• When changing direction.

• Even when they don’t see any cars around because they know a car they don’t see might hit them.

If you plan to turn beyond an intersection, don’t signal until you are actually in the intersection. If you signal too early, another driver may think you will turn before you reach him or her and might pull into your path.

If you plan to turn at an intersection (for example) which is close to a business driveway, be especially careful. People leaving that business may think you are turning into the driveway when you really intend to turn at the intersection. These drivers may pull out right in front of you. In a case like this, it might be better to signal after the driveway but before the intersection.

Check your signal after turning. Turn it off if it hasn’t clicked off by itself.

Signal When You Slow Down Or Stop Suddenly

Never stop on the road, unless necessary for safety or to obey a law. Start braking early as a signal to the cars behind you.

If you can see an accident ahead, warn the drivers behind you by turning on your emergency flashers or tapping your brake pedal quickly three or four times. You can also use the hand signal for slowing and stopping.

previous | table of contents | next