Can I Drive With a Broken Blinker?

Generally, you shouldn’t. In most places, operating a vehicle without working turn signals is illegal and unsafe. If your blinker fails mid-trip, many jurisdictions allow you to use hand and arm signals to reach a safe location or repair shop, but you can still be ticketed, and the risk increases at night or in poor weather. Hazard lights are not a substitute for turn signals while moving.

Why It Matters: Safety and Legality

Turn signals communicate your intent and give other road users time to react. Without them, the odds of rear-end and side-swipe collisions rise significantly, especially during lane changes, turns, or merging. Legally, most regions require two functioning turn signals (front and rear) on each side of the vehicle. If they’re not working, police can stop you, issue fines or a “fix-it”/defect notice, and your car may fail inspection.

What the Law Typically Requires

Across the U.S., Canada, the U.K., the EU, Australia, and many other regions, vehicles must have operational turn signal lamps. Many jurisdictions allow hand/arm signals when the indicators fail so you can proceed safely to a repair, but that doesn’t excuse the equipment violation. At night or in low visibility, hand signals are hard to see and may not meet legal requirements. Using hazard lights while driving is restricted in some places and never counts as a turn signal for turning or lane changes.

Potential Penalties and Consequences

Drivers often ask what can happen if they keep driving with a broken blinker. The outcomes vary by jurisdiction but tend to include the following types of enforcement and risk.

• Traffic stop and citation for defective equipment; in some areas, a “fix-it” ticket that’s reduced or dismissed after proof of repair.
• Fines that can range from modest (tens of dollars) to a few hundred, depending on local laws and whether it’s a repeat offense.
• Vehicle inspection or MOT failure until the indicator is repaired (where periodic inspections apply).
• Liability exposure: if a crash occurs and you didn’t signal, fault and insurance outcomes may go against you.
• Possible points or record notations in some regions, which can affect insurance premiums.

While specific penalties vary, the common thread is clear: continued driving with a failed blinker increases legal and financial risk, especially if a collision occurs.

If Your Blinker Fails While You’re Driving

If the indicator stops working mid-journey, take steps that minimize risk and keep you within the rules as much as possible until you can stop safely and repair it.

1. Create space and reduce speed. Avoid sudden maneuvers and increase following distance.
2. Use hand and arm signals for turns and lane changes where legal and safe to do so, and make movements gradual.
3. When you can, pull into a safe area (shoulder, parking lot) to assess the problem.
4. Use hazard lights only when stopped or to warn of a traffic hazard; do not use them as a turn signal substitute while moving.
5. Choose a low-traffic route and, if possible, drive in daylight to a nearby repair shop.
6. If visibility is poor or traffic is heavy, consider roadside assistance or towing instead of continuing.

These steps are temporary measures to reach safety. The goal is to stop, diagnose, and repair promptly rather than continue normal driving.

Quick Troubleshooting: What Likely Failed?

Basic checks can often pinpoint whether the issue is a bulb, fuse, flasher relay, switch, or wiring. These tips can help you decide what to fix first or what to tell a repair shop.

• Do hazards work? Hazards usually share the same bulbs as turn signals. If hazards flash but the turn signal on that side doesn’t, suspect the turn-signal flasher module, stalk/switch, or related wiring—not the bulb.
• Rapid blink on the working side: Many cars “hyperflash” when a bulb on that side is out. Check front and rear bulbs and side-repeaters.
• Solid “on” but no flashing: Often a flasher relay/module issue or a body control module fault in newer cars.
• Neither side works: Check the turn-signal fuse(s), relevant relays, and the stalk switch; also inspect grounds.
• Trailer wiring recently added? Faulty trailer connectors commonly cause signal failures and blown fuses.
• LED upgrades? Without proper resistors or programming, LEDs can cause hyperflash or errors.

A quick walk-around while activating signals (and hazards) can isolate the problem fast. When in doubt, a shop can run a scan and basic electrical tests.

Repair Options and Typical Costs

Repairs are usually straightforward and inexpensive, especially for bulb failures. Costs vary by vehicle make, access, and part type.

• Bulbs: $5–$25 each for standard incandescent; $10–$50 for some LEDs. Labor can be 0–0.5 hr depending on access.
• Flasher relay/module: $15–$60 for simple relays; $100–$300+ if integrated into a body control module (programming may be required).
• Turn-signal stalk/switch: $50–$200 part; $100–$250 labor depending on steering column design.
• Fuses and minor wiring fixes: Usually under $100 unless extensive wiring repair is needed.
• Dealer vs. independent shop: Independents are often cheaper; dealers carry OEM parts and have brand-specific diagnostics.

Most fixes can be completed same day. Address issues promptly to avoid tickets and reduce crash risk.

When Is It Acceptable to Drive to a Repair?

If the failure occurs unexpectedly, it’s generally acceptable to proceed cautiously to the nearest safe location or repair facility, using hand signals where legal. Prefer daytime, low-traffic routes and good weather. Avoid highways and complex maneuvers. If conditions aren’t safe, arrange towing.

Hand Signals Refresher

Where permitted, these signals can help other road users understand your intent until you repair your indicators.

• Left turn: Left arm straight out, horizontal.
• Right turn: Left arm bent upward at the elbow (forearm vertical). In some places, right arm straight out is also recognized, but the left-arm-up signal is most widely taught for drivers.
• Slow/stop: Left arm extended downward with palm facing rear.

At night or in rain/fog, hand signals are hard to see—use extreme caution, reduce speed, and consider waiting for better conditions or getting a tow.

Insurance and Liability

Failing to signal can be cited as a contributing factor in a crash. Even if hand signals are legal, other drivers may miss them, increasing your liability risk. Repairing the blinker immediately is the safest and most prudent course—for your safety and your insurance record.

Summary

You generally should not drive with a broken blinker. It’s illegal in most places and materially increases your crash risk. If the failure happens on the road, use hand signals where permitted to reach a safe stop or the nearest repair, but don’t rely on hazards as a substitute while moving. Troubleshoot quickly—often it’s just a bulb, fuse, or flasher—and fix it as soon as possible to stay safe and legal.

Can you drive with a broken blinker?

Broken headlights, tail lights, and blinkers are common results of collisions. Not only can driving without them be dangerous, having non-functional lights is illegal in almost every state. Driving without them could lead to getting pulled over and receiving a ticket.

Is it legal to drive without a working turn signal?

National law requires all automotive vehicles to have operational turn signal devices installed and that drivers use those signals to indicate any lane change or turn. And yes, that goes for turns performed in designated turning lanes, too.

How to drive with a blinker out?

Anyone operating a vehicle with a broken, missing, or obscured turn signal is required by law to use hand signals when changing lanes or turning. You also should understand what other drivers and cyclists are signaling to you.

Can you get pulled over for a broken turn signal?

Yes, they can and they do stop people for not using their turn signal. I think it’s pretty rare, overall, to get a ticket for not signalling. The ticket is usually called making an unsafe lane change. Not signalling gives an officer a valid reason to pull you over, even if they don’t end up ticketing you.