Motorway driving

DirectDebacle

cajef wrote: »

Don't shoot the messenger you said ask a DSA instructor, I am only repeating a discussion and conversation with a senior driving examiner, it would seem you disagree with both.



No one said it was, but in busy conditions it gives makes other drivers aware that you wish to change lanes.

I was advising Inactive to ask a DSA. I don't need to as I am fully aware when it is necessary to indicate.

Tilt

To be honest, this debate is rather pointless. speaking as a PCV driver, when driving a 12mtr coach I always indicate when changing lanes for fairly obvious reasons. Most of my fellow coach drivers and our LGV cousins will flash their headlights in response to an overtaking vehicle (in lane 2) indicating to return to lane 1. The reason is quite simple; to signal the overtaking driver he has passed the overtaken vehicle sufficently enough so that he can pull back into lane 1 safely. I do not know where it is written that indicating to return from an overtaking manouvre is not necessary but I am happy to be directed to such official advice. When driving a car, I always indicate breifly (around 3 flashes) when returning to either lane 1 or 2 after overtaking.

A lot of posters have referred to lane 1 being the noraml driving lane and 2 & 3 for overtaking only. Well I reckon a better debate would be for those many drivers who are not aware what lane 2 is for, to explain why they just toodle along in lane 2 doing about 60mph or less when lane 1 is empty!!

DirectDebacle

Good points and illustrates that you are traffic aware and as a result know when to give appropriate signals. Of course larger vehicles have blind spot/visibility issues, which are much less of an issue for cars, and thus require a different approach.

There is no law that you must indicate at any stage of an overtaking manoevure.

As for middle laners. Well they are just poor drivers.

globalds

The situation I face most days I motorway drive is this.
Join the M6 southbound at 10a Hit by (originally 3 lanes of fairly solid traffic) now actively managed lanes with a hard shoulder as a 4th lane when active.
M40 bound so stay on M6 , so I use lane 1 or 2 ,the M5 gets lane 2 or 3

Stay on M6 until M42 and back to active traffic with hard shoulder as 4th lane when active.

So my reasong behind it being a good habit is not because I drive like some kind of automaton . It is because IMHO when Motorway lane driving has been altered to the point that the normal rules no longer get an opportunity to be used, then letting other road users have as much information as possible is not just good road manners it also means less chance of someone rear ending me or slipping into the same lane as I intend to go.

DCFC79

Mark_Hewitt wrote: »

I noticed in France many drivers leave their indicator on (on their case the left indicator) the whole time they are overtaking.

they do that and ive no idea why,

jase1

It's a good idea to leave the indicator on if you are overtaking in poor light conditions, on a single carriageway, just in case.

Yes, you should never put yourself in a position where this is dangerous, but I can see the reasoning. Not been in the position myself.

C_Mababejive

Slightly deviating...one thing i do find annoying is that i do sometimes drive a vehicle which is speed restricted and should i find myself in the middle lane ,it is not unknown to find some a$$hole coming up behind in the left lane and not allowing time for me to move left but instead,undertaking or at least taking up such a close quarter position on my rear left,that the view in my mirror gives the impression it would be unsafe or a close call to move left.

boliston

I think a lot depends on the traffic density as when the motorway gets busy there is not much difference in speed between the 3 lanes and traffic in other lanes to your left can often start going faster than the lane you are in.
In those situations it is pretty important to signal changes either to move left or right.

In normal free flowing motorways then you are far less likely to have traffic on your left going faster so less need to indicate when pulling back in.

Tilt

C_Mababejive wrote: »

Slightly deviating...one thing i do find annoying is that i do sometimes drive a vehicle which is speed restricted and should i find myself in the middle lane ,it is not unknown to find some a$$hole coming up behind in the left lane and not allowing time for me to move left but instead,undertaking or at least taking up such a close quarter position on my rear left,that the view in my mirror gives the impression it would be unsafe or a close call to move left.

That would suggest that the left lane (lane 1) would be empty so why would you be in the middle lane?

paddedjohn

DirectDebacle wrote: »

Good points and illustrates that you are traffic aware and as a result know when to give appropriate signals. Of course larger vehicles have blind spot/visibility issues, which are much less of an issue for cars, and thus require a different approach.

There is no law that you must indicate at any stage of an overtaking manoevure.

As for middle laners. Well they are just poor drivers.

You should indicate when starting the manoevure to let up coming traffic know you are coming out, when you have finished overtaking there is no need to signal as you should be in lane 1 anyway.