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PhrasesCar AccidentStava cambiando corsia senza mettere la freccia.
B1

Stava cambiando corsia senza mettere la freccia.

He/she was changing lanes without indicating.

Pronunciation

'Freccia' = FRECH-chah — 'cc' before 'i' makes a 'ch' sound; double consonant.

When to use it

Use in your police statement when the other driver's failure to signal contributed to the accident. Failure to indicate is a codice della strada violation that affects fault assessment.

What it means

'Mettere la freccia' (put on the indicator/turn signal) is the Italian colloquial expression for indicating. Formally it is 'azionare l'indicatore di direzione'. Failing to indicate when changing lanes is a fineable offence and is evidence of negligent driving.

Variations

Ha tagliato la strada senza segnalare.

He/she cut across without signalling.

'Tagliare la strada' = to cut someone off.

Ha invaso la mia corsia.

He/she crossed into my lane.

Lane invasion is a clear-cut violation.

Si è immesso in autostrada senza dare la precedenza.

He/she entered the motorway without giving way.

Merging failure — the entering vehicle always has to yield on Italian motorways.

Mini Dialogue

— Come è avvenuto lo scontro? — Stava cambiando corsia senza mettere la freccia. Mi ha preso di lato. — C'erano altri veicoli che hanno visto la manovra? — Sì, il camion dietro di me ha suonato il clacson.

— How did the collision happen? — He was changing lanes without indicating. He clipped my side. — Were there other vehicles that saw the manoeuvre? — Yes, the truck behind me honked the horn.

Cultural Note

Italian drivers have a mixed reputation for indicating — in urban areas, many drivers change lanes without signals. However, in accident liability disputes, failing to indicate is legally significant and is routinely flagged by traffic police.