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No Turn Signal Va. Code 46.2-848

If you get pulled over for not using your turn signal here is what you need to know about Virginia turn-signal law. 46.2-848 states that a person must check before turning ect. and give a proper signal whenever turning ect. may affect the operation of any another vehicle.

“Every driver who intends to back, stop, turn, or partly turn from a direct line shall first see that such movement can be made safely and, whenever the operation of any other vehicle may be affected by such movement, shall give the signals required in this article, plainly visible to the driver of such other vehicle, of his intention to make such movement.”

So, if your turning will not cause other drivers to stop, slow down, change lanes, ect. then you do not need to signal under Virginia law. As a general rule of thumb you should signal any time there are any vehicles in the same area as you. Often, when an officer writes this ticket, they are claiming that the affected vehicle was their own police cruiser.

Sometimes, when officers write tickets for not signaling the mistakenly write the ticket under 46.2-804 and call it “Improper lane change” or “Failure to obey a lane marking”. Don’t be fooled. 46.2-804 has nothing to do with signaling. 46.2-804 deals with improper passing, unsafe lane changes, and driving in the left lane.

If you are ticketed or pulled over for not signaling when turning, the proper citation is 46.2-848 and the officer must prove that other vehicles were affected or that you did not safely change lanes.

Luke J. Nichols

 

About Luke Nichols

Luke Nichols practices almost exclusively traffic law in Northern Virginia. His primary practice areas include reckless driving, speeding, DUI/DWI, refusal, hit-and-run, driving on a suspended license, and driving on a revoked license. Mr. Nichols has represented hundreds of Virginia drivers. You can also connect with Luke on Google+
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