One reason for car accidents is simply that people don’t always use their turn signals. They make turns or change lanes with no warning. This is very dangerous and illegal, but it happens a lot.

To shed some light on why this behavior persists – and continues to cause car accidents – let’s take a look at some of the top reasons that people give for failing to use their turn signals and why that can be a problem.

There were no other vehicles around

One of the most common excuses is that there weren’t any other vehicles on the road, so there was no one to see their turn signal. But this can be problematic if the driver has simply overlooked a vehicle. For instance, maybe there’s a motorcycle in their blind spot. They think no one’s on the road, so they don’t signal when they change lanes and they crash right into the motorcycle.

They’re turning right, not left

Most drivers will use their signal when turning left, largely because they have to wait for cross traffic. But they may not use it when they’re turning right. But this can still be problematic because it doesn’t alert pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers to their intentions.

No one else is doing it

It turns out that drivers are also influenced by the cars around them. If no one else has their blinker on in a line of cars, people are less likely to put their own on. But following the crowd isn’t necessarily smart, especially when everyone in that crowd is increasing the odds of a car accident.

Unfortunately, you’re going to have to share the road with drivers who do this. If you’re injured in an accident that one of them causes, be sure you know what legal options you have.