Inspired by southpaw on general car safety -- SIGNALLING IN REVERSE

  • Thread starter broxbourneDELETE
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broxbourneDELETE

Guest
At the moment, I think I've maxed out on carseat safety for our cars. So I was thinking about topics on car and driver safety.

One thing I notice not alot of people do is signal when going in reverse -- like backing out of a space at the grocery store. I want everyone to know my intentions; I signal the direction the rear of the vehicle is moving. And I always back out as slow as ice melting. if it's not abnormally cold, I roll the windows down (and radio off) a little so I can hear what's going on around me outside.

If anyone else has tips, I would welcome reading them.

--Charlene
Mom of 2 boys, 3yo and 11mo
 
ADS

Tara

New member
My hubby will often honk the horn a quick couple of times before backing. When the lot has been busy. Not on a regular basis though. I do nothing.
 

JaRylan

New member
At the moment, I think I've maxed out on carseat safety for our cars. So I was thinking about topics on car and driver safety.

One thing I notice not alot of people do is signal when going in reverse -- like backing out of a space at the grocery store. I want everyone to know my intentions; I signal the direction the rear of the vehicle is moving. And I always back out as slow as ice melting. if it's not abnormally cold, I roll the windows down (and radio off) a little so I can hear what's going on around me outside.

If anyone else has tips, I would welcome reading them.

--Charlene
Mom of 2 boys, 3yo and 11mo

I will try to remember to do this more often, thanks. When parking in a lot I usually try to find two open spaces so that I can pull through and park with my front end out. I hate backing up in parking lots, pedestrians are so bad for looking out for themselves. When walking up to a car that I can tell is about to back up I usually stop and wait until I catch the driver's eye before continuing.

I always tease my mom because she signals when she is backing up at the farm and also when she is about to turn out of the farmyard onto the lane...still on our land. I promise not to tease her anymore, her force of habit safety moves mean that she always signals everywhere she goes - which is better than me and probably most people. :rolleyes:
 

LuvBug

New member
thats a good idea on the signaling. We JUST now got our first straight on parking spaces at a new shopping center. Everything else in town is the tilted spaces where you have to be driving that way in order to slide in them. So when you back out there is only 1 way you can go... unless you go forward(assuming the space infront is empty).

I always make sure to remind people of our vehicle seat safety. That the top of the headrest should be at or above the middle of our head(essentially tips of ears like in carseats), that you should be as upright and far back as you can, and that your seatbelt should hit you over the lap/hips and across your sternum then bulk of your shoulder and not into your neck or slipping of the side. It too should be at or above your shoulders in positioning. I hope I rememebered all that.

I like becky's bumper stickers that say "Turn signals... More than just pretty lights" lol!
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I have never noticed anyone signaling while backing up...although they very well could be and I just assumed they still had their blinker on from pulling into the spot. :rolleyes: Around here I get sooo mad because it is a new trend to no longer signal AT ALL!!!! Why do people think that is okay? I LOVE it when you are behind someone and they come to a complete stop in front of you to turn infront of oncoming traffic to enter a street or driveway with no signal. Hello! Ok vent over.

I do not signal when backing up because like I said I have never thought about it. I do have a backup camera though that has a nice wide view but I only use that for the ititial start when I am making sure there are no kids or anything behind me.
 

scatterbunny

New member
I don't signal when backing up, but people not signaling in general is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. :mad:

There's only one store in town with the straight-lined parking places, all the other stores have the angled spots so there's only one way to pull out.
 

southpawboston

New member
yeah, one of my biggest peeves is people not using their turn signals... but the problem lies in the sad fact that law enforcement RARELY cares about it... i have never seen a cop pull someone over for not using their directionals. so if there is no enforcement, people will slack off (well, people who don't care about driving safely).

i've never thought of using directionals while backing up... what a neat idea! i'll start doing that!
 

Amaris

New member
DH always beeps the horn twice when backing up, but when he's at work they have a policy to do that when backing up in work trucks. I usually back into a spot so I don't have to worry about it.
 

southpawboston

New member
okay, here is a free tip for safe driving that is appropriate given the season:

when it has snowed on your car and you need to clear the snow off, don't stop after the windows are cleared...don't forget to also clear the roof!!! once you get up to speed on the highway, a sheet of snow (or worse, frozen ice) can come blowing off of your roof and onto the windshield of the car behind you!!! i see this all the time (the snow on the roof, not the driver behind getting hit with it). and also don't forget to clear the snow from your headlights... i've seen people driving around at night with snow covered headlights which is like the equivalent of a window shade blocking the light!
 

Morganthe

New member
My pet peeve is other drivers speeding through parking lots and driving behind me when I'm already over half the way out of the spot. They just appear suddenly and act if I've cut them off. Driving behind a backing car -- HELLO! How dangerous is that? It's not that they don't SEE me, it's that they're too d*** lazy to stop. :(

I also hate hate hate backing up out of a spot when I have 2 large vehicles (Truck, minivan, SUV) on both sides of me, usually so close that I can barely open my door. I'm watching as best I can, but hoping that someone doesn't ram me because I'm driving blind. I know other driver's won't see me well either. There's just no way to see around the behomeths :( If I can drive forward & through the spot, I will.

I'm a very patient person in parking lots. As a result, I usually get a primo spot in even the most crowded of days.
Save the fast speeds where they belong -- the open highway. Protect life & property -- only 15mph or less in a parking lot. Oh, and get off the bloody cell phone and pay attention to pedestrians & other vehicles. There's so much to focus on. Driving should have be the number one priority!

Ok -- off the soapbox now :p
 
Last edited:

joolsplus3

Admin - CPS Technician
Well, I'd never thought to signal when backing... I wouldn't be sure how? My reverse lights are on and i'm looking as best I can (I did bang into a mercedes once... four thousand dollars for a small hairline crack in the brakelight casing???? ack!)...

One good tip, since a surprisingly huge number of toddlers are rolled over by their parents, is to always walk around your car from the passenger side, to make sure there's nothing behind it. If you've ever seen the electric company, at least in California, they always put an orange cone at the back driver's corner of their trucks...not to warn other drivers, but to make themselves check all around the car before driving. Pretty clever trick.
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
Cool suggestion, although I'm not sure how to signal or if the turn signal would be canceled when you turn the steering wheel sharply to pull out of the parking spot. :confused: Would you signal the direction you're backing the car toward, or signal the direction you intend to drive forward? The drivers around here are notorious for randomly cutting through parking lots diagonally instead of driving up and down the rows and seem to think the parking lots are a grand prix race course. I hate backing up in parking lots no matter whether I'm driving the van or our car, and I usually try to pick a parking space where I can pull forward through to avoid backing up when I'm leaving. The next time I do have to back up out of a space, I'll try signaling if I can figure out the logistics. I wouldn't want to further confuse the parking lot grand prix drivers. :)
 

Jeanum

Admin - CPS Technician Emeritus
Staff member
One good tip, since a surprisingly huge number of toddlers are rolled over by their parents, is to always walk around your car from the passenger side, to make sure there's nothing behind it. If you've ever seen the electric company, at least in California, they always put an orange cone at the back driver's corner of their trucks...not to warn other drivers, but to make themselves check all around the car before driving. Pretty clever trick.

Nifty! I think that explains why a neighbor always puts an orange traffic cone behind his van when he parks it in his driveway. I thought it was odd, but it makes perfect sense to me now :)
 

Dillipop

Well-known member
My biggest pet peeve is when a car stops in front of me to make a left turn, all the idiots that think it is ok to cross the white line to go around the car (and sometimes me, who is patiently waiting for them to make the left)! Not only is it illegal to cross the white line to pass a car on the right, it is an accident waiting to happen if the car coming from the other direction is also making a left and doesn't see the car cutting around.

I also get peeved when I am on the highway and there is a car going below the speed limit in the center or left lane, holding up traffic all around.

And pedestrians that cross against their crosswalk lights, holding up traffic and possibly causing an accident. Or crossing a four lane road any where they want instead of going an extra 100 ft to get to a crosswalk.

I could go on and on...
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I absolutely ADORE the geniuses that walk behind my Suburban when I'm backing up. </sarcasm>
You'd think they'd realize that they can't be seen. It's not so bad when the boys' boosters aren't in the car, but I rarely bother taking them out.
 

JaRylan

New member
okay, here is a free tip for safe driving that is appropriate given the season:

when it has snowed on your car and you need to clear the snow off, don't stop after the windows are cleared...don't forget to also clear the roof!!! once you get up to speed on the highway, a sheet of snow (or worse, frozen ice) can come blowing off of your roof and onto the windshield of the car behind you!!! i see this all the time (the snow on the roof, not the driver behind getting hit with it). and also don't forget to clear the snow from your headlights... i've seen people driving around at night with snow covered headlights which is like the equivalent of a window shade blocking the light!

Absolutely! I could have used a snow shovel and stood on the roof of my car last week to get rid of snow. :D I've been hit by snow from other vehicles...not fun.
 

beeman

Active member
The new trend they taught us in drivers ed is to back into your parking stall. The way my instructor put it was "granny is less likely to be hanging around the empty parking stall compared to walking behind you when you're backing up" I've always backed in from day one and litterally can't nose in, just with fear of hitting the car beside me. Backing in is easy, as long as you watch your mirrors, and know where you are going.
As for signalling, it is annoying when people who don't signal. I have a friend who refuses to signal, doesn't come to a complete stop at stop signs, and won't wear his seat belt. I try to convince him to shape up but he just comes back with "you don't know how to drive". It is really annoying.
As for turn signals cancelling, on my truck they cancell when the wheel is turned the opposite way of the signal.
 

skaterbabs

Well-known member
I absolutely HATE trying to back the Suburban into a parking space- as long as the dimwits don't walk behind me, getting back out again is easier.:rolleyes:
 

Jewels

Senior Community Member
And pedestrians that cross against their crosswalk lights, holding up traffic and possibly causing an accident. Or crossing a four lane road any where they want instead of going an extra 100 ft to get to a crosswalk.

I don't cross the road against the crosswalk signal but I have to admit I do sometimes cross the road (in our town) when not at a crosswalk. The crosswalk isn't usually where I need it to be :rolleyes: and to get there would take me 15-20min out of my way (I don't think our town has enough crosswalks!). If we are going to be walking by the crosswalk then I make sure we cross there and follow the signals.

One thing that bothers me is when I am waiting til it is safe to cross the road is when someone stops and waits for me go. That is not safe. I would rather stand there and wait for the cars to go by. I figure I am not at a crosswalk I need to wait for you to go by not the other way around.
 

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