Boston drivers urged to ‘Use Yah Blinkah’

Michae Dwyer / AP

An electronic highway sign is seen on Interstate 93 in Boston on Friday, May 9, 2014. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation posted the message “Changing Lanes? Use Yah Blinkah” on signs around the city. “Blinkah” is how Bostonians pronounce “blinker.”

Associated Press

Friday, May 9, 2014 | 10:45 a.m.

BOSTON — Perhaps the reason notoriously aggressive Boston drivers don't use their turn signal is 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 Mother's Day, 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 offense last year.