The Last Hundred Feet
G.S. 20-154 — a signal whenever another vehicle may be affected, and larger fines when a motorcycle or bicycle is affected
See first, then signal. Before starting, stopping or turning from a direct line, a driver first sees that the movement can be made in safety, sounds the horn if a pedestrian may be affected, and, whenever another vehicle may be affected, gives a signal plainly visible to its driver. No driver backs unless it can be done safely and without interfering with other traffic.
When a motorcycle or bicycle is affected. A violation that causes a motorcycle or bicycle operator to change lanes or leave the travel lanes is an infraction with a fine of not less than two hundred dollars ($200.00). One that results in a crash causing property damage or personal injury to a motorcycle or bicycle operator or passenger carries a fine of not less than five hundred dollars ($500.00), and more for serious injury or damage over five thousand dollars ($5,000).
The section turns on whether another vehicle may be affected rather than on a distance before the turn. Hand and arm signals, and the equipment a vehicle must carry for them, are set out in neighboring sections that are not all on this page. What a particular stop or ticket means is a question for a licensed North Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.S. 20-154 — Signals on starting, stopping or turning
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.