Motorway driving

paddedjohn

If you are returning to lane 1 from lane 2 on the motorway there is no need to indicate as lane 1 is where you should be anyway once you have finished overtaking.

Zanzibar

hartcjhart wrote: »

then sorry you have been mislead,ANYTIME you make a manouvre from 1 lane to another YOU should indicate,you never ever assume people know what your intentions are ,thats what causes accidents

Right....:cool2:

jase1

The way to look at it is this: Is what you are about to do the "expected" action for the circumstances?

Example, after overtaking, there's no-one ahead of you in the inside lane, the "expected" action is to return to the inside lane. So no indication required.
Example, after overtaking, there are a stream of cars ahead going faster than the car you've overtaken but slower than you are currently going. You decide to ease off and file in behind them (for whatever reason). This is not necessarily the expected action, so you indicate to show your intention.

Example, on a roundabout you're on a lane that is marked "left turn only". No indication required.
Example, on a roundabout you're on a lane that is marked left or straight on. Here you should indicate.

Finally, example: you're approaching a roundabout and want to go all the way around and back along the road you're currently on. If you don't indicate here, you ought to be shot.

Cash-Strapped.T32

I do indicate.
Not simply to complete an overtake as that is usually pretty fluid on a bike but when I'm switching lanes after deciding to go back to lane 1 from 2, or 2 from 3 (this includes large A-roads with 2 or 3 lanes) I always do.

However, my bike instructor actually taught me not to, her reasoning being that someone indicating to leave the motorway/A-road would be giving the same signal as someone simply changing lanes, and you can see the potential for collisions there if someone indicates to exit from lane 2...

I mention A-roads, because many of them have not only slip-roads, but proper junctions as well as 2 or 3 lanes, and of course logic dictates that your ought to follow the same signal rules for a 3-lane A-road as for a motorway-proper.

This just sounded odd to me (still kinda does but hey-ho) so I double-checked it with another bike instructor & he confirmed that it's correct - At least for a bike, apparently you don't indicate when going from lane 2 to lane 1. :huh:

Inactive

Cash-Strapped.T32 wrote: »

I do indicate.
Not simply to complete an overtake as that is usually pretty fluid on a bike but when I'm switching lanes after deciding to go back to lane 1 from 2, or 2 from 3 (this includes large A-roads with 2 or 3 lanes) I always do.

However, my bike instructor actually taught me not to, her reasoning being that someone indicating to leave the motorway/A-road would be giving the same signal as someone simply changing lanes, and you can see the potential for collisions there if someone indicates to exit from lane 2...

So you know better than your instructor?

Strider590

Cash-Strapped.T32 wrote: »

However, my bike instructor actually taught me not to, her reasoning being that someone indicating to leave the motorway/A-road would be giving the same signal as someone simply changing lanes, and you can see the potential for collisions there if someone indicates to exit from lane 2...

Your instructor is correct, though i've never heard that reasoning, it does make perfect sense.
I mean... On any normal road where you overtake in the oncoming lane, you don't indicate to pull back in. It's obvious you've got to pull in!!


So why should a motorway be any different when your simply completing a manoeuvre for which you have already indicated?

I suppose it depends on whether you view the motorway as having two overtaking lanes, or view it as the "slow, middle and fast lane"......

Lum

I usually find when overtaking anything more than one or two cars, I'll eventually pick up a tailgater who will get closer and closer because I don't want to do a 3 digit speed.

Indicating once you're slightly ahead of the final car being overtaken seems to calm the tailgater down a little and stop them getting quite so close, which benefits my safety even if it is technically wrong.

When it comes to a choice between the safest option and the by the book option, safety wins every time.

Strider590

Lum wrote: »

Indicating once you're slightly ahead of the final car being overtaken seems to calm the tailgater down a little and stop them getting quite so close, which benefits my safety even if it is technically wrong.

Yeah.... To be fair I'd also indicate if there's a tailgater, just in case he tries to duck up the inside out of pure impatience.... Last thing you need is some twonk charging up on your left just as your changing lanes

I think this is the point really, you should be observing the road and making decisions based on what you see.... Rather that just doing everything out of habit.

Inactive

Lum wrote: »

I usually find when overtaking anything more than one or two cars, I'll eventually pick up a tailgater who will get closer and closer because I don't want to do a 3 digit speed.

Indicating once you're slightly ahead of the final car being overtaken seems to calm the tailgater down a little and stop them getting quite so close, which benefits my safety even if it is technically wrong.

When it comes to a choice between the safest option and the by the book option, safety wins every time.

It isn't " technically wrong " it benefits another road user, so is correct.

Drivers giving signals that benefit nobody are the ones that are wrong.

They give no thought to what they are doing and just drive on auto pilot.

Flyboy152

johnfarquhar74 wrote: »

This is by far the most important part. You wouldn't carry out the next 2 if the first showed a vehicle in the part of the road you intended to be, check/observe/watch and the SMIDSY is someone else's problem!

As for indicating for pulling back in after an overtake, I was instructed not to do so as it wasn't necessary. After passing the basic requirements for a license I took further training, there too I was advised indicating to change lane after overtaking was not necessary UNLESS it would be off an advantage to other road users.

Then driver training has changed since my day.