Is Failing to Signal When Turning Always Against the Law in Ontario?

Fighting Speeding Ticket Ontario

As a driver in Ontario, have you ever failed to signal while making a lane change? Maybe you saw the car in front of you change lanes without signalling. Either way, you must be wondering if such an act could get you ticketed the next time or, worse, cause an accident due to negligence.

This post will tell you if you absolutely must signal every time you change lanes in Ontario. As a courtesy, should you signal lane changes? Yes. But, is it against the law not to? To answer this question, we must examine the Highway Traffic Act and Section 142 (1), particularly about whether or not you need to signal during lane changes.

To summarize the section in plain words, a driver of a vehicle on a highway, before turning at an intersection or into a private road or driveway or from one lane for traffic to another lane for traffic or to leave the roadway, shall first see if that turn can be made safely. Moreover, if any other vehicle’s operation may be affected by the turn, the driver shall give a signal which is visible to the driver of the other vehicle.

To answer whether you need to signal every time during a lane change, we must look at the highlighted parts. Signalling can include electronically indicating via blinkers or by way of hand signals.

Going by the bolded part of the section, it becomes clear that if no other vehicle on the road can be affected, then it is not illegal to fail to signal. On the other hand, if a police officer observes a driver failing to signal a turn or lane change and wants to give him a ticket, then the officer will be required to state in court what other vehicle was affected by the turn and how.

The law intends to create an orderly and predictable flow of traffic to avoid accidents. Thus, whether or not you need to signal during lane changes depends on individual circumstances and scenarios.

However, we recommend that you make it a habit to always signal during a lane change to ensure an orderly traffic flow to avoid collisions.

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Section 142 (1) of the Highway Traffic Act reads, “The driver or operator of a vehicle upon a highway before turning to the left or right at an intersection or into a private road or driveway or from one lane for traffic to another lane for traffic or to leave the roadway shall first see that the movement can be made in safety, and if the operation of any other vehicle may be affected by the movement shall give a signal plainly visible to the driver or operator of the other vehicle of the intention to make the movement.”