Why do so few drivers indicate these days?

Biggles

Strider590 wrote: »

You see that's all very well, but very likely to enrage the driver and yes he may overtake and be off on his way, but 5 miles down the road he may have taken his anger out on someone else and ended up ploughing through a bus-stop full of children.

No, I think a driver who's too stupid to know when he's tailgating isn't going to realise why I have begun to ease off a little; I did say 'very, very gradually'. He'd just be a little confused.

But, in your suggested method, he would certainly realise you were intentionally flashing your brake lights at him - and may well end up angry.

bouicca21

Having read through this thread again, I am wondering if the urban/rural divide is part of the problem. The don't always indicate rule was given to me on an advance driving course but all the practice drives we did were on country roads where it was easy to see that there was no one around to benefit from seeing a flashing indicator.

In reality I drive on city roads almost all of the time, so there will probably always be someone who needs to see my indicator.

Iceweasel

bouicca21 wrote: »

Having read through this thread again, I am wondering if the urban/rural divide is part of the problem. The don't always indicate rule was given to me on an advance driving course but all the practice drives we did were on country roads where it was easy to see that there was no one around to benefit from seeing a flashing indicator.

In reality I drive on city roads almost all of the time, so there will probably always be someone who needs to see my indicator.

I agree - I drive mainly on country roads and long distance motorways where I feel that I can make a very accurate decision as to who is going to benefit from my signals - so I often decide not to signal.

In towns and cities there is almost always someone who could benefit from knowing my intentions.

NBLondon

Cornucopia wrote: »

I find that happens to me all the time (I live near the 2-lane section of the M2).

That's exactly where I was thinking of too...

Biggles wrote: »

The problem with failing to act (in your scenario) is that you will then have to slow down to the speed of the lorry and the difference between your speed and that of the outer lane will then be 22mph instead of the original 11mph, making the whole procedure more difficult.

So you end up waiting for a bigger gap to allow acceleration - or changing down and flooring the throttle. I think this then leads to some people just living in the next lane even when there is space to move back to Lane 1. You're right, that if the driver already in Lane 2 is reading the road ahead, they will see the gap closing and be prepared for someone to indicate and quickly dive into a gap. Which is fine if they match speeds quickly and complete the overtake - but I also see what I described in Scenario 2; the driver who indicates and immediately pulls out without accelerating in front of another car closing at a higher (legal) speed.

deaston

It's bad car design. How can a driver be expected to hold the steering wheel, hold their phone AND turn on the indicator all at once?

GabbaGabbaHey

Car_54 wrote: »

However, Biggles' advice is the textbook answer. Do you have a better idea?

Yes - just ignore them (and, if necessary, increase the distance between yourself and the vehicle in front so that there's less chance that you may need to brake sharply).

I've never understood why people get so het up about "tailgaters". I really don't care whether the car behind me is 2 car lengths or 6 inches behind me - it's their responsibility to avoid hitting me, and the actual risk of a tailgater driving in to the back of me is minuscule. There are far more important hazards on the road which I'd rather give my attention to.

London_Town

I was behind a police car that didn't indicate once yesterday on my commute home. That was disappointing.

Regarding tailgating, I find that has changed a lot since I started driving. Years ago, it always seemed to be aggressive young men driving too close behind me. Now, I find it's often young women who aren't doing it aggressively, they seem to think it's OK.

Car_54

GabbaGabbaHey wrote: »

Yes - just ignore them (and, if necessary, increase the distance between yourself and the vehicle in front so that there's less chance that you may need to brake sharply).

I've never understood why people get so het up about "tailgaters". I really don't care whether the car behind me is 2 car lengths or 6 inches behind me - it's their responsibility to avoid hitting me, and the actual risk of a tailgater driving in to the back of me is minuscule. There are far more important hazards on the road which I'd rather give my attention to.

I'm sure the fact that it's their responsibility will be a big consolation when they hit you. The risk is far from miniscule - there are thousands of rear-end accidents, every one a result of the following driver being too close.

mirko

I used to go out running in the dark evenings (on pavements). It's genuinely helpful when cars indicate so you can tell if they're going to turn off near where you're running (as I often have to cross roads etc.).

I mean, I'm lit up like a Christmas tree with dayglo tops and lights, but drivers often think their indicators are for other car users only. They're actually pretty helpful for pedestrians too.

GabbaGabbaHey

Car_54 wrote: »

I'm sure the fact that it's their responsibility will be a big consolation when they hit you. The risk is far from miniscule - there are thousands of rear-end accidents, every one a result of the following driver being too close.

If you genuinely think that the car behind is dangerously close (and I'd like to see some statistics for how many rear-end collisions are caused by tailgating), then the only sensible option is, as soon as it is safe to do so, to indicate and pull over, allowing the tailgater to pass.

Any other action (slowing down, flashing your brake lights, switching on your rear fog lights, using your windscreen washers, etc) is just making the situation worse by deflecting your attention from the myriad other hazards on the road.

Oh - and I'd suggest that you never try driving in France. Their idea of an acceptable distance from the car in front is significantly shorter than in the UK. I'm not aware or rear-end collisions being any more prevalent in France than in the UK, though.