What is the purpose of using turn signals when changing lanes?

Using turn signals when changing lanes serves a crucial purpose in road safety by clearly indicating your intentions to other drivers. When a driver activates their turn signal, it communicates to others on the road that they plan to change their position, allowing other vehicles to adjust their speed or position accordingly. This practice enhances overall situational awareness and helps prevent accidents by reducing uncertainty among road users.

The other options do not capture the primary reason for using turn signals. While alerting pedestrians might be considered in some situations, turn signals are primarily for the benefit of drivers. Traffic lights do not need to be informed of lane changes, and communicating with vehicle sounds is not a standard or effective means of signaling lane changes, as visual signals are the most universally understood method on the road.