Reasons for drivers no longer indicating

Flink_Poyd

Emp_Fab said:

Never mind not indicating....  Twice this week I've been tempted to press the 'launch missile' button because I've approached a T-junction, turning right, and flashed someone waiting to pull out - they sit there staring at me.  I flash them again.  They sit there.  Meantime, I've almost come to a complete stop.  Just as I've abandoned the idea that they're actually going to move and continue with my right turn, they suddenly pull out in front of me - AND - cause a car coming towards me to slam on the brakes...  AND then.... (shakes with rage)....  they don't even say thankyou.

I never flash my main beam anymore. I gesture/wave people out, if they're taking notice of what's going off they get to pull out, otherwise fuck 'em. 
 Flashing your lights simply means "I am here" but it's thought of and used as "you can move"

People not acknowledging you if you've let them move first fucks me right off

Headphones

Flashing your lights is simply a rude inconsiderate twonk's way of blinding you - while they think they're being helpful by "giving permission" (that's not theirs to give).  It is pure unadultareted ignorance (exceeding BMW levels)

Poking the culprit in the eye with a red hot skewer is too light a punishment.

Not that I have a strong view on the matter.



Two other Bristolian habits - not unique but more prevalent here:

Signal left when entering roundabout in left hand lane, then travelling around the whole thing and taking the very last exit (this may be local instructors as that's what my son was tought by his nitwit!).

Stopping at mini roundabouts and staring at everyone.  I think they're actually checking for family as there's a lot of "close relatives" hereabouts.

Wazmeister

Laziness and entitlement. The curse of modern Britain, imho.

My driving instructor taught me "there is ALWAYS someone who benefits from a signal"

thecolourbox

Flink_Poyd said:

Emp_Fab said:

Never mind not indicating....  Twice this week I've been tempted to press the 'launch missile' button because I've approached a T-junction, turning right, and flashed someone waiting to pull out - they sit there staring at me.  I flash them again.  They sit there.  Meantime, I've almost come to a complete stop.  Just as I've abandoned the idea that they're actually going to move and continue with my right turn, they suddenly pull out in front of me - AND - cause a car coming towards me to slam on the brakes...  AND then.... (shakes with rage)....  they don't even say thankyou.

I never flash my main beam anymore. I gesture/wave people out, if they're taking notice of what's going off they get to pull out, otherwise fuck 'em. 
 Flashing your lights simply means "I am here" but it's thought of and used as "you can move"

People not acknowledging you if you've let them move first fucks me right off

Yes I was going to say it's probably because flashing lights does not mean "you can go", just because you know why you're flashing them does not mean they are telepathic to know your meaning. It literally means I'm here in case you haven't seen me, but people use it incorrectly to say " come through " or "your lights aren't on" or "I'm driving like a complete twat so move" so I'm not surprised people get confused

ICBM

When they come up behind you in the outside lane when you're overtaking something and you're already doing the legal speed limit, flashing their lights means "please test your brakes now".

RocknRollDave

My bugbear at the moment is to do with the roads by where I live, which are always blocked either side with parked cars, meaning only one car can pass through at any given time. 
So, I check the path through is clear, I get halfway along the road and a car pulls out of a side road, straight into my path, sees me coming, sees there is no way through....and keeps going, expecting me to somehow miraculously cede way for them to come through.... Happens every single goddamned day, without fail. 

Look ahead! Look at the road you just pulled into! The road is blocked by a vehicle coming the other way? MAYBE YOU COULD WAIT YOUR FRIGGING TURN THEN!

TheBigDipper

Skipped said:

mellowsun said:

Anyone have any insights into why drivers don't indicate?

There must be an explanation. So here is a completely random one.
Mini roundabouts.
People stopped indicating their exit from mini roundabouts....maybe because they decided it was pointless.

 But they had then lost the habit (of indicating).

Fact alert: You don't indicate your exit on a mini roundabout. Reason? They are too small and there's not enough time for a meaningful signal (three flashes) before you leave it. Learners are taught to indicate their intention on approach - to turn left, right or straight on - using the left turn signal, the right turn signal or nothing. In other words, signal as for a crossroads and give way to traffic already on it or entering from your right.

Learners know it's a mini roundabout because the blue circular "obey this" road sign when they get to it shows three small arrows forming a circle.  

Proper roundabouts don't have those. As you get to the give way line to enter, you'll see a blue circular "obey this" road sign that has an arrow telling you to go left. It's courteous and informative to indicate your exit when on these to benefit people further round waiting to come on. 

Sorry for the pedantry - I'm a DVSA, IAM and RoSPA qualified motorcycle instructor.... 

TheBigDipper

ICBM said:

When they come up behind you in the outside lane when you're overtaking something and you're already doing the legal speed limit, flashing their lights means "please test your brakes now".

Really? I though it meant "buy me a new rear bumper, dummy". Same action, though. :-) 

TheBigDipper

Whilst we're on the subject of things that aren't in the Highway Code or traffic law, yet people do it anyway...

I don't have a problem when queuing in traffic (on a major road) and the car in front lets someone out from the minor road on the left. That might be me next time and it's nice...

I get very upset when I'm doing 30mph in the same road and the car in front slows down and stops to let someone out. Don't obstruct my progress just because you want to - there'll be a gap shortly and they'll get out by themselves. That's why we have give way lines and the concept of minor-to-major turns - so we all know what's supposed to happen. 

Grrr.

Stevepage

One thing I'm really hating at the moment is when driving along the motorway, the speed limit is set to 60 due to congestion etc. There's obviously speed cameras so you slow down to not get flashed by the cameras but, some arsehole comes speeding up behind you and flashes his lights. You move over when you can and he then speeds off doing 80/90 like the cameras don"t exist.

happens every time I go on the M1.

digitalscream

I've had a few of these observations over the last few weeks of taking my theory test and practical lessons...

1 - Flashing your headlights is only supposed to be done to let people know that you're there - sort of like a visual version of hitting the horn. "Common wisdom" is kinda wrong here.

2 - Most people don't bother indicating to exit a roundabout when they're taking the second exit to go straight ahead; rules say you have to. Foxed me, that one, and because I'd learned according to "the rules" I nearly planted the car in their passenger seat.

3 - People are dicks. Even when there's a learner on a dual carriageway doing 70 in the left hand lane, apparently tailgating and flashing their headlights (admittedly in the right context this time, see #1) is the exact right thing to do when there are a couple of cars doing slightly more than 70 in the outside line.

ICBM

digitalscream said:

2 - Most people don't bother indicating to exit a roundabout when they're taking the second exit to go straight ahead; rules say you have to. Foxed me, that one, and because I'd learned according to "the rules" I nearly planted the car in their passenger seat.

The one that really annoys me is when people indicate *right* as they approach the roundabout in the outside lane, then once they're on it, go straight on, usually just as you describe… or with a very brief left indicate that's difficult to see because by that point you're almost parallel with the rear of their car and the side repeaters aren't always very bright.

There's a roundabout near me where the only exits are straight on and right, so the only reason you should ever indicate right is if you are actually going right, but loads of them do when they're going straight on - including a police car I was following once, with nearly the same result.

So there are definitely times where indicating is more confusing than not doing. My driving instructor taught me that you use them when you're going to do something *other* than carry on in the same direction, but not when you are. So approaching a roundabout going straight on - no indication. Leaving the roundabout by any exit - indicate left, because 'carry on' is to continue round the roundabout.

TheBigDipper

ICBM said:

<snip>

There's a roundabout near me where the only exits are straight on and right, so the only reason you should ever indicate right is if you are actually going right, but loads of them do when they're going straight on - including a police car I was following once, with nearly the same result.

So there are definitely times where indicating is more confusing than not doing. My driving instructor taught me that you use them when you're going to do something *other* than carry on in the same direction, but not when you are. So approaching a roundabout going straight on - no indication. Leaving the roundabout by any exit - indicate left, because 'carry on' is to continue round the roundabout.

Decent advice. 

victorludorum

The privatisation of road policing is coming soon... They're just starting it in France, where private firms are now legally acting as speed monitors on motorways. It won't be long before they start on B roads and town centres. There's too much revenue just waiting to be scooped up: speeding, phone use, dangerous driving, not indicating as well no doubt ;-) I hate the word Uberisation, but it might even happen to the rozzers...

crunchman

ICBM said:

When they come up behind you in the outside lane when you're overtaking something and you're already doing the legal speed limit, flashing their lights means "please test your brakes now".

I prefer to put the rear fog on momentarily.  It will probably cause them to brake instinctively before they realise it's a fog not a brake light, but you don't have the danger of them going into your rear

57Deluxe

it's cos their Sat Nav or Google doesn't tell them to...

Maynehead

They've stopped indicating because they've stopped caring. It tends to happen to you if you've lived in London for any length of time...

Cirrus

Headphones said:

Flashing your lights is simply a rude inconsiderate twonk's way of blinding you - while they think they're being helpful by "giving permission" (that's not theirs to give).  It is pure unadultareted ignorance (exceeding BMW levels)

Poking the culprit in the eye with a red hot skewer is too light a punishment.

Not that I have a strong view on the matter.

People *used* to know that flashing your lights in certain circumstances obviously meant "I'm letting you go". In the last 10 years, I've gradually noticed it tailing off to the point that now, more often than not people don't react to it. Frankly, I think that if as a driving culture we do the flashy-lights-thing, it's fantastic because it fosters cooperation and kindness. Obviously it requires common sense. At night, yes you might well dazzle someone. So use common sense. But, I think the world is a slightly worse place if this unofficial understanding is lost. And until your post, I would never have imagined that someone might become enraged by it. Especially because there are places, especially in cities at rush hour where if someone doesn't flash you out, you might be sitting there for 5 minutes. Which is a fucking AGE when you're at the head of a queue in traffic. Someone just taking their foot off the accelerator, building a safe gap in front of them and flashing you out actually makes the traffic around the junction flow more efficiently. Certainly if you look at traffic flow in Birmingham and the north (where flashing is used lots) compared with traffic flow under similar circumstances further south (where acts of kindness are seen as weakness), I think the difference can be palpable.

professorben

The thing that annoys me is when you let people in, and they don't acknowledge you or even say thanks, Ive lost count of the hours I've spent tailgating those people, following them to their homes and intimidating their families.....
so inconsiderate. 

Modulus_Amps

the thing that annoys me is when people call the outside lane the outside lane, when it really is the inside lane.... very confusing when coming from other countries