How far ahead of a turn or lane change must you signal?
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A.
Only when another driver is directly behind you
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B.
About one car length before you turn
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C.
As you begin to brake for the turn
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D.
At least 100 feet before you turn Correct
The answer is "At least 100 feet before you turn"
The law requires signaling at least 100 feet (30 m), roughly a third of a city block, before a turn or lane change. Drivers who signal only about a car length ahead, a habit that gets by in stop-and-go city driving, pick option B; the legal minimum is much farther out than everyday habit suggests.
The traps in the wrong answers
A. Only when another driver is directly behind you
The 100-foot signal is required regardless of whether anyone is watching. This answer treats the turn signal as a courtesy owed only to visible traffic, an old habit from empty back roads that the law does not honor.
B. About one car length before you turn
The legal minimum is 100 feet, much farther out than a single car length. This answer falls back on the everyday habit of flicking the signal on just before the wheel moves, a habit that survives in slow city traffic where longer notice feels pointless.
C. As you begin to brake for the turn
The 100-foot rule is measured in distance, not by when your foot touches the brake pedal. This answer mixes up the safety tip about signaling before braking with the legal minimum itself; the law measures feet, not the order of pedal actions.
This question tests your knowledge of Turning in New York. Source: New York State Driver's Manual, "Chapter 5 – Turns," p.36..
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