Boston drivers urged to use their turn signal when changing lanes in a way they can understand

BOSTON – Perhaps the reason notoriously aggressive Boston drivers don’t use their turn signals is that no one’s ever put it in terms they understand.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation on Friday changed that by posting messages on electronic highway signs around the city that read: “Changing Lanes? Use Yah Blinkah.”

“Blinkah” is how Bostonians pronounce “blinker,” otherwise known as a turn signal.

The signs are scheduled to stay up through the Mother’s Day on Sunday, which state officials say is one of the busiest traffic days of the year.

Drivers who fail to use their “blinkah” when changing lanes on a Massachusetts highway are subject to a fine. Police across the state handed out almost 5,000 tickets for the offence last year.