Is It Illegal To Leave Your Blinker On In Texas?

Drivers LOVE to do this in El Paso. While it's super annoying and sometimes confusing, is it illegal?

There are a zillion driving related laws on the books in Texas but there's a difference between things you can't do and things you shouldn't do ... at least in the eyes of the law anyway.

I would hazard a guess we've all done this at least once. You signal and then forget to turn your blinker off. It happens.

Thankfully auto manufacturers found a couple of ways to make the blinker turn itself off. One is a switch that automatically trips when your steering wheel rotates past a certain point. Some vehicles use a timer to stop the blinkage.

Neither system is perfect though and you still see peeps all over the place blinking away with no intention of making a move in either direction. I've seen some drivers leave their blinker on while changing lanes in the opposite direction.

It's confusing and irritating, especially if you're trying to pass a slower driver but can't tell if he's actually going to move over or not. You wind up having to follow the slowpoke for awhile as you assess his true intent.

Is It Illegal To Leave Your Blinker On While Driving In Texas?

As annoying as it is, it's perfectly legal. Texas law stipulates when and how you have to signal but says nothing about when to stop.

Texas law says: "An operator intending to turn a vehicle right or left shall signal continuously for not less than the last 100 feet of movement of the vehicle before the turn.".

Not a word about shutting it down afterward. Technically, you could just be setting up your next move since you must signal at least 100 feet before the move. You could do more.

You may be planning to change lanes two towns over but your blinker is already on so you're well within the parameters of making a legal move.

Maybe THAT'S the deal ... blinker lovers aren't forgetful or inattentive, they're just very careful.