Laws for use of car indicators?

muckybutt

Well we all passed our driving exam didnt we ?

Competant I would say is just that - if you have passed your driving exam then you have been assessed and classed as competant by the DSA - therefore everyone that has a full licence would come under the umbrella of being classed as competant otherwise the DSA examiner wouldnt have passed you.

I know as well as you that many drivers fall below that standard, but at the end of the day it is the drivers responsibility to understand their vehicle's controls and functions, if they dont and they get in a car and drive it then its gotta be a case of DWODCAA ?

Just my two penneth !

Lum

If you use "just passed the driving test" as your measure of competency then you can still be a pretty crap driver and be ok

I guess that sorts out the issue of criminalising half the drivers out there, but it would make it rather difficult to actually prosecute anyone but the absolute worst out there.

hareng

Anyone remember the Highway Code in late 70's?
Mirror, Signal, Manouver!

Just be careful Almillar although i share exactly that methodology, i woudnt push my luck too much.

As regards newbies, many are better drivers than those that have been driving 10 to 30 years. A wrongs a wrong and would put it at 30% of all drivers.

Mindless_Clone

Strider590 wrote: »

This is simple....... Indicate if doing so would benefit ANYONE.
The emphasis is on paying attention to the f**king road and judging whether it's necessary or not, the problems start when people do or don't do things by pure habit.

This advice (minus the expletive) is pretty much what a policeman (hubby of a friend) told me once. And by road, that does extend to include pavements too.
In that particular case I had been complaining about people not indicating when turning out of my mum's road. He pointed out that if there's no other road (or pavement) users around, there's no point in indicating. Logically, that makes sense.

PasturesNew

I was on a completely deserted road one night, nobody around - no traffic, no pedestrians. Road was wide, weather dry, night clear. It was in a town, I approached a roundabout I knew well, with good/clear vision left and right; straight ahead was a small road and nothing was moving/there except overnight parked cars. I turned right .... got round the corner and was pulled over by the police, who had been hiding in the small side road .... they said I didn't indicate "for the benefit of other road users" .... even though there weren't any.

They just breathalysed me and let me go, so I think they were hiding and looking for drunk drivers using any excuse to stop anybody ... and probably having an easy night of it in that location.

PasturesNew

Years ago I heard the phrase "Passing your test means you're now qualified to continue learning on your own".

Strider590

PasturesNew wrote: »

I turned right .... got round the corner and was pulled over by the police, who had been hiding in the small side road .... they said I didn't indicate "for the benefit of other road users" .... even though there weren't any.

They just breathalysed me and let me go, so I think they were hiding and looking for drunk drivers using any excuse to stop anybody ... and probably having an easy night of it in that location.

By a panda car no doubt, not a qualified traffic officer.

Flyboy152

samwich1979 wrote: »

How do you figure that out?

If you are at a 4 road junction like i was on Thursday and as you are half way across an empty road some lunatic flies round the corner with no indicators on and you presume they are driving straight ahead what do you do?

As a pedestrian i am having to try and second guess what car drivers are going to do before i cross a road or i would die and would certainly be dead now with the experiences i have had recently.

The problem is i am having to think about what drivers may do instead of them simply indicating and being able to use roads safely.

Easy...don't assume. Wait until they have completed their manoeuvre and then proceed.

Flyboy152

samwich1979 wrote: »

I have been looking for any laws for the use of car indicators but it seems there are not any.

I can understand that it is objectionable as to whether they are being used correctly or if they need to be used in certain situations but i have unfortunately been on the wrong side of numerous drivers who have failed to indicate to me as a pedestrian what their intentions are and i have nearly been run over.

I dont think that many car drivers see pedestrians as important or that we need to know what they are doing, but when i am out pushing my son in his pushchair and i am trying to cross the road i really get annoyed at the lack of use of indicators.

Yes it would be hard to enforce anything in relation to this but it seems that people do not use common sense any more when driving.

Why on Earth would you even venture onto a road where you have no indication as to what drivers are going to do. Surely it is safer to wait until they have passed and not risk your life, or the life of your child.

wba31

So what about people who approach a roundabout, indicate right, go straight on?