Signalling on roundabouts

Richard53

knightstyle wrote: »

I commented on this some time ago, it seems to be younger drivers.

Strider590 wrote: »

You see, that's odd because the only group i've seen doing it are male and 50+.

Heh. At first I thought it was older drivers (when I was in my 20s), but I have seen it done by all ages, male, female, black, white, gay, straight, yes I am kidding, but everyone.

Mojisola wrote: »

Yes, my Dad was taught this way - indicate left if you're taking the first exit; for any other exit, indicate right until you've passed the last exit before the one you want and then indicate left.

It would be interesting to know when he learned to drive. My feeling is that so many people do it that it must have been taught as the correct method at some point.

When it comes to mini-roundabouts and roundabouts with odd configurations, then it is sensible to give whatever signal seems the best to help other motorists, and take each one on its merits. But the rules on the straightforward 4-exit clock-face type roundabout are pretty clear.

I followed a middle-aged male driver on my way to work yesterday, across four roundabouts in succession. Each one he gave a right signal, and then went straight on. I'm not imagining it.

I pass a big roundabout on my way home every morning at about 7.15 am. Traffic is usually light, and everyone on the roundabout is either turning into my road or going past me and taking the next exit into town. Probably 7 out of 10 are taking my road, and 1 out of 10 bothers to signal left, which means I have to come to a dead stop unnecessarily just in case they are staying on the roundabout and going past me. Cross words have been said inside the privacy of my crash hat. It's amazing how a very small courtesy can make a big difference to other road users, and how bloody lazy or incompetent some people are.

Tilt

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

That's the fault of the following car being impatient rather than the person indicating correctly for the roundabout. You should be getting irked at them. If everyone drove for the convenience of the impatient then there would be chaos.

Well I wouldn't agree that they are "indicating correctly" as by indicating left, they are saying to following traffic that they are going into the garden centre. Obviously if they are, then indeed they are indicating correctly.

Mrs_Imp wrote: »

They shouldn't really be using their horns and lights in an aggressive manner either, as mentioned in the highway code.

Well you are probably right there but who can stop them?

Lum

Deleted_User wrote: »

People who don't stay in their lane on the roundabout annoy me most.

Depends on the circumstances for me. If there's nobody in the other lane then I'm fine with the manoeuvre. In some ways it's safer as there is less steering to do. It's also more fuel efficient.

A roundabout near me was recently dropped to two lanes (previously it was unmarked) and I've found that when going straight ahead if I actually go around the outside "properly" people assume I'm going left without signalling and pull out on me, but if I straddle the white line then they don't. I could probably also go straight on from the right lane (exit is single lane) which would be naughty but solve the problem, and the right indicator trick would also work.

If I were so inclined, I could probably get a good insurance claim out of it!

Richard53

Deleted_User wrote: »

People who don't stay in their lane on the roundabout annoy me most.

That's exactly what I do, as it means less wear and tear on the tyres and suspension, less swinging about for your passengers, and you can carry more speed through the roundabout. On a bike, it's more or less a straight line, so safer from a grip point of view ...

if there is no other traffic.

If other vehicles are present, staying in your own lane is just good manners and the only safe and correct approach. Good observation to make sure of the bit in red above is true is vital.

Cornucopia

I learnt to drive in the early 90s, and was definitely taught to signal right until the mid-point of the penultimate exit, and then signal left.

Pretty sure it was that way in the Highway code at the time, too.

Was told that it didn't need to apply at mini-roundabouts.

Richard53

Joe_Horner wrote: »

Never take a decision (such as pulling out) that might put you in conflict with another carf based on someone else's indication because they're probably not as good at it as you've learnt to be.

A few days ago, I was coming home from work and slowing down to make a left turn off a major road. A car was waiting to pull out. I signalled left and started to slow down, and the car didn't move. Sensible chap (and thanks very much for not killing me if I had left the signal on accidentally). I gave a brief left-turn hand signal - easy on a bike - and he pulled out straight away and gave me a massive thank-you wave as he went by. Cost me nothing, gained him a few seconds, everyone's happy.

My driving instructor's words about pulling out into traffic:

"Wait until you see the whites of their eyes!"

Lum

Richard53 wrote: »

A few days ago, I was coming home from work and slowing down to make a left turn off a major road. A car was waiting to pull out. I signalled left and started to slow down, and the car didn't move. Sensible chap (and thanks very much for not killing me if I had left the signal on accidentally). I gave a brief left-turn hand signal - easy on a bike - and he pulled out straight away and gave me a massive thank-you wave as he went by. Cost me nothing, gained him a few seconds, everyone's happy.

I usually go with a flash for that one since a wave from inside a car is less likely to be seen, yes technically in violation of the highway code, but it works and it helps people out.

As you say it helps everybody out.

Mrs_Imp

Tilt wrote: »

Well I wouldn't agree that they are "indicating correctly" as by indicating left, they are saying to following traffic that they are going into the garden centre. Obviously if they are, then indeed they are indicating correctly.

I'm going by the highway code which says to indicate left to exit a roundabout.

Joe_Horner

Lum wrote: »

I usually go with a flash for that one [...] yes technically in violation of the highway code

Surely that depends on whether what you're wearing means you need to take both hands from the wheel?

Ultrasonic

Cornucopia wrote: »

I learnt to drive in the early 90s, and was definitely taught to signal right until the mid-point of the penultimate exit, and then signal left.

Pretty sure it was that way in the Highway code at the time, too.

I've just checked in a copy of the 1993 Highway Code and it describes signalling as at the start of this thread, i.e. NOT signalling on approach to a roundabout if going straight ahead. Not sure about the one that preceeded this though, which may have been valid when you were taught to drive.