Signal that you are going to turn or change lanes.
Brake or slow down if you need to.
Turn or change lanes.
That is the only sequence; do not alter it, and no steps should be omitted; it shouldn't be all that hard to remember. Please get that through your thick skulls.
It's not necessarily thick skulls. Tradition! Tradition! In Maryland cars are required to have a flashing light system that is usually referred to as a turn signal or, more familiarly, a "blinker." Tradition here dictates that it be activated *after* turning or changing lanes to signify "I have just made a turn," or "I have just changed lanes."
Come to think of it, it's a bit like Twitter. First you do it, then you tell everyone that you did it. Never mind that they saw you do it. In Maryland you still need that signal *afterward* to say "I did it."
If you see someone here signal before making a move, five will get you ten it's not a native Marylander.
Nowadays, when you signal, that automatically means someone MUST cut you off. Driving with the proper distance behind a vehicle also automatically means, "Hey howya doing please jump in front of me and smoke my brakes." Jenkem poops, I call them.
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