"New year. New you. Use your blinker."
A billboard here in Phoenix has gotten a lot of attention online.
We all probably know at least one person who needs to adopt that mantra as their New Years' Resolution.
When do you have to use your blinker?
12 News' sister station WFMY investigated what the laws for turn signals are in North Carolina.
Sgt. Sam Epps with the Burlington Police Department says your best bet to avoid confusion is to always use your blinker, regardless of the situation.
"I would recommend getting in to the practice of using your turn signal every time you turn. Whether you're changing lanes, turning in to a parking lot, turning out of a parking lot, turning off of a road on to a road,” said Epps. “It's just the best practice to get in to at all times to use your turn signal. It's an easy habit to get into."
You can get in trouble with the law for not using your blinker, including facing fines, a mark on your record, or even hundreds in court costs.
Epps says tricky places like turn only lanes become problematic because drivers get confused, panic, make a mistake, and cause a crash.
"We've seen multiple accidents both on the interstates and on local roads involving multiple cars just because one person decided not to use their turn signal,” said Epps.
In North Carolina, using your turn signal is the law -- but not in every situation.
RELATED: Arizona law on use of turn signals
For instance, Epps says you don't have to use your blinker in a turn only lane like the Wendover Ave East exit off Benjamin Parkway.
The reason that drivers are not required to use their blinker in that situation is because a vehicle who is following should know that the car in front of them will be making a turn.
The law is also complicated when it comes to changing lanes.
Epps says if you're three or four car lengths ahead of traffic, you're not required to set a turn signal before you change lanes.
But if traffic is tighter, Epps says you need to set your blinker when you change lanes, because your move could impact the other cars on the road.
