Indicating when changing lanes - do you?

Indicating when changing lanes - do you?

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Discussion

ismellburning

Original Poster:

136 posts

137 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Quiet Friday afternoon here. So:

Do you always, without fail, indicate when changing lanes on the motorway?

I used to, then read a thread (here if I'm not mistaken) that asked who benefits from signalling. Now I indicate if I'm in traffic, if there's someone close behind, or if I'm moving into lane two when lane three is also occupied. If there's no-one behind, i.e. no-one benefits from the indication, I don't do it.

Signalling to change lanes isn't one of the *MUST* bits of the highway code so I don't think this is illegal. My missus doesn't like it because when I indicate she gets advance warning we're going somewhere else. With no indication she gets taken a bit more by surprise. She's a nervous soul, mind.

What do you lot do?

Hackney

6,810 posts

207 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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I do the same as you, only if someone else needs to know basically.

Fed up of those people who pull half way into the new lane, *then* indicate, and you have to ease off / slow down to let them in.

Dave Hedgehog

14,541 posts

203 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Hackney said:
I do the same as you, only if someone else needs to know basically.
this, if my changing lane may impact someone then they get the winkers


SarGara

365 posts

175 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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I always do it regardless, out of habit more than anything. I indicate when pulling out of my lane, and then I indicate when im pulling back into the lane once im past.

HTP99

22,443 posts

139 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Same here, I indicate regardless, obviously I check too I don't just indicate and move as most seem to do.

However I don't indicate to pull back in as I have read or was told that you don't need to as other drivers should assume that if the N/S lane is clear then you will move into it as that is where you should be because the other lanes are overtaking lanes only.

165gt

332 posts

162 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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As others have said, I treat it the same as any other indicator situation, I only indicate if there's someone who'll benefit from the signal (or may appear from an area I don't have sufficient visibility of).

Bennet

2,119 posts

130 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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More or less everyone who ever habitually fails to indicate under any circumstance would justify it with "well no one really needs to know". Often, they are wrong, for reasons they haven't even thought of.

Just inidicate. For everything. All the time. Not doing so makes people look like an ignorant, arrogant, careless plebs, IMO.

timjswan

1,265 posts

118 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Surely if you're changing lanes then 99% of the time you're about to overtake something? If so I would think it would be a nice thing to let the 'about to be overtaken' have confirmation that you're abut to overtake them*? I agree with not indicating coming up to a roundabout if there is no-one about and you need to be in the right lane for instance or a closing lane etc...

  • you know those guys who come storming up behind you in lane 1 and sit on your arse until they come off at the next junction.

Martin4x4

6,506 posts

131 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Dave Hedgehog said:
this, if my changing lane may impact someone then they get the winkers
Those sound like the exact words my driving instructor used many, many years ago when I was learning. I still follow that advice.

I think the beneficial side effect of making the decision stop it becoming routine and increases situational awareness.

Glosphil

4,337 posts

233 months

Friday 13th June 2014
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Bennet said:
More or less everyone who ever habitually fails to indicate under any circumstance would justify it with "well no one really needs to know". Often, they are wrong, for reasons they haven't even thought of.

Just inidicate. For everything. All the time. Not doing so makes people look like an ignorant, arrogant, careless plebs, IMO.
Nonsense. Indicating without thought runs the risk of misleading signals being given.

An example.
Pulling out to pass a parked car - right indicator on and move towards centre of road - just the procedure that would be used to turn into road on the right. There is such a road and a car is waiting to exit and turn to his right. That driver thinks you are about to turn into 'his' road, and hence will be slowing down, so he pulls out.

Thinking before every use of the indicators avoids misleading signals and requires more observation and planning - the basis of safe driving.

DSS199

39 posts

157 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
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I only indicate when there are cars around me in front or behind as many a time i have been moving to lane 2 when a car will decide to move from lane 1 to 2 even though there are no obstructions or reason to.

having said all the above i have noticed more and more drivers not bothering with the indicator at all?

Kuroblack350

1,383 posts

199 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
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ismellburning said:
Do you always, without fail, indicate when changing lanes on the motorway?
Nope, not at all. I think to do so takes something away from the observation routine - it's more effective to be asking the question 'who will benefit from this?'. I don't tend to indicate when joining a motorway either, as it's pretty obvious what my intentions are as there are no alternative actions.

yosamuel

103 posts

126 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
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I indicate regardless. Force of habit.

Mound Dawg

1,915 posts

173 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
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HTP99 said:
Same here, I indicate regardless, obviously I check too I don't just indicate and move as most seem to do.

However I don't indicate to pull back in as I have read or was told that you don't need to as other drivers should assume that if the N/S lane is clear then you will move into it as that is where you should be because the other lanes are overtaking lanes only.
For this reason I always indicate that I'm pulling back in so that anyone coming up behind me knows I'm not a member of the MLOC and they won't have to move into the next lane to get past me.

Squiggs

1,520 posts

154 months

Saturday 14th June 2014
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I always indicate, it's habit.
But as someone else has pointed out there are times when you have to observe that you shouldn't indicate - ie overtaking a parked car, junction on the right with a car waiting to pull out or approaching a major T junction, wanting to turn left with a minor left turn 15 meters or so just before.
But I also find that indicating has become such a habit when I'm making a change in direction that even when driving on an estate road where it might simply turn sharply 90 degs I'll still indicate - and then I think to myself 'What a tw@t! Where else could you have gone? And what must the following driver be thinking of you right now!" laugh

waremark

3,241 posts

212 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
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Are indicators useful, or given that you cannot rely on them to have been used correctly would driving be just as satisfactory if they did not exist?

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
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Kuroblack350 said:
I don't tend to indicate when joining a motorway either, as it's pretty obvious what my intentions are as there are no alternative actions.
One would hope so, but I fear there are some to whom it is not.

Farm boy

165 posts

152 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
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My car tells me off if I don't indicate when changing lanes with a vibration through the steering wheel.

7db

6,058 posts

229 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
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otolith said:
Kuroblack350 said:
I don't tend to indicate when joining a motorway either, as it's pretty obvious what my intentions are as there are no alternative actions.
One would hope so, but I fear there are some to whom it is not.
there's a world of difference between someone being able to tell what you intentions are if they think about it, and you telling them what your intentions are.

I nearly always signal on joining once I've identified my slot, as I am reminding people that I am there -- and about to conflict with them.

otolith

55,899 posts

203 months

Sunday 15th June 2014
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I don't change lanes if I will conflict with someone - but I also signal, because many people seem oblivious to obvious driving plans. The people who catch you up in lane 2 and then match your speed as you approach the back of a lorry, for example.