Advice on Safety Bubble in real life

[Pica-Pica]

PhilAsia said:

Maybe I have missed something, but surely being in the furthest overtaking lane available does not require a signal when clearly in lane and in the process of overtaking?

I feel it helps. A fast approaching, and maybe low-slung car, cannot see much past you, so for that reason, it signals your current situation.

[PhilAsia]

Pica-Pica said:

PhilAsia said:

Maybe I have missed something, but surely being in the furthest overtaking lane available does not require a signal when clearly in lane and in the process of overtaking?

I feel it helps. A fast approaching, and maybe low-slung car, cannot see much past you, so for that reason, it signals your current situation.

Perhaps. But surely a ton of metal occupying the lane gives just as much, if not more information, than a signal?

[AMC243]

PhilAsia said:

Perhaps. But surely a ton of metal occupying the lane gives just as much, if not more information, than a signal?

A signal might show the following vehicle that you're aware of their presence, rather than just dawdling along whilst eating your cereal or whatever it is some people seem to do nowadays.

[PhilAsia]

AMC243 said:

PhilAsia said:

Perhaps. But surely a ton of metal occupying the lane gives just as much, if not more information, than a signal?

A signal might show the following vehicle that you're aware of their presence, rather than just dawdling along whilst eating your cereal or whatever it is some people seem to do nowadays.

Whilst I am overtaking?

[AMC243]

PhilAsia said:

Whilst I am overtaking?

The scenario described is that you're doing an overtake at 70 because the chap in the middle lane is doing 68 or thereabouts. Someone comes up behind you doing 90-ish and slows down because you're in the way. As I see it, they might appreciate a sign that you're aware of their presence. Admittedly I've never used my indicator for that - on the occasions it's happened I've stuck my hand up to acknowledge them - but I'll try to remember it next time I'm in that position and see if it has a similar effect.

[Snow and Rocks]

AMC243 said:

The scenario described is that you're doing an overtake at 70 because the chap in the middle lane is doing 68 or thereabouts. Someone comes up behind you doing 90-ish and slows down because you're in the way. As I see it, they might appreciate a sign that you're aware of their presence. Admittedly I've never used my indicator for that - on the occasions it's happened I've stuck my hand up to acknowledge them - but I'll try to remember it next time I'm in that position and see if it has a similar effect.

Generally a little squeeze of the throttle to get past quickly and out of the way works well enough. Creeping past people with only a few mph speed differential just winds people up unnecessarily. It's one of the downsides of cruise control, it's often tempting to just stick religiously to whatever speed is set.

[PhilAsia]

AMC243 said:

PhilAsia said:

Whilst I am overtaking?

The scenario described is that you're doing an overtake at 70 because the chap in the middle lane is doing 68 or thereabouts. Someone comes up behind you doing 90-ish and slows down because you're in the way. As I see it, they might appreciate a sign that you're aware of their presence. Admittedly I've never used my indicator for that - on the occasions it's happened I've stuck my hand up to acknowledge them - but I'll try to remember it next time I'm in that position and see if it has a similar effect.

I am not stating it is wrong, just enquiring as to whether it has a positive effect or not and how is that knowable?

[waremark]

Snow and Rocks said:

AMC243 said:

The scenario described is that you're doing an overtake at 70 because the chap in the middle lane is doing 68 or thereabouts. Someone comes up behind you doing 90-ish and slows down because you're in the way. As I see it, they might appreciate a sign that you're aware of their presence. Admittedly I've never used my indicator for that - on the occasions it's happened I've stuck my hand up to acknowledge them - but I'll try to remember it next time I'm in that position and see if it has a similar effect.

Generally a little squeeze of the throttle to get past quickly and out of the way works well enough. Creeping past people with only a few mph speed differential just winds people up unnecessarily. It's one of the downsides of cruise control, it's often tempting to just stick religiously to whatever speed is set.

It's one of the downsides of speed limits - most advanced drivers where it is safe to go faster probably travel at the maximum speed they think acceptable in relation to the limit. This inhibits an increase in speed to overtake a slower vehicle more quickly.

I use the right hand indicator technique when I know I may be holding up a driver behind - hard to know how much it helps, but it must do sometimes. I will already be in the furthest right lane when I apply the right indicator - my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

[Toltec]

waremark said:

It's one of the downsides of speed limits - most advanced drivers where it is safe to go faster probably travel at the maximum speed they think acceptable in relation to the limit. This inhibits an increase in speed to overtake a slower vehicle more quickly.

I use the right hand indicator technique when I know I may be holding up a driver behind - hard to know how much it helps, but it must do sometimes. I will already be in the furthest right lane when I apply the right indicator - my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

I have taken to using a 75mph set cruise which is 72mph actual, this means I can use a full click to increase by 5mph if needed to make a clean pass without having to worry too much about speed cameras, then a click back down. Granted a bit lazy, however on longer motorway runs I don't find pushing speed limits particularly efficient on fuel, time or effort. I've never tried the rhd indicator thing, but I do indicate left in plenty of time so a following car knows I'll be getting out of the way in the approaching gap.

[PhilAsia]

waremark said:

It's one of the downsides of speed limits - most advanced drivers where it is safe to go faster probably travel at the maximum speed they think acceptable in relation to the limit. This inhibits an increase in speed to overtake a slower vehicle more quickly.

I use the right hand indicator technique when I know I may be holding up a driver behind - hard to know how much it helps, but it must do sometimes. I will already be in the furthest right lane when I apply the right indicator - my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

Absolutely plus 1 on the downsides of speed limits.

I do not want to appear dickish, because their may well be an unrealisable benefit to signalling right, but equally could the following driver also find an unrealisable antagonistic element to the signal?

I am not sure not signalling is any better btw, for the reasons already posted.

[Salted_Peanut]

Snow and Rocks said:

Generally a little squeeze of the throttle to get past quickly and out of the way works well enough. Creeping past people with only a few mph speed differential just winds people up unnecessarily.

^ this.

Depending on the overtaking circumstances, it can be safer to break the speed limit than stick religiously to it.

[AMC243]

Salted_Peanut said:

Depending on the overtaking circumstances, it can be safer to break the speed limit than stick religiously to it.

Yes, I would agree that sticking to the speed limit when doing so turns things into a bit of an elephant race could well be hazardous, especially if you're tucked away in the other driver's blind spot.

PhilAsia, I'm not sure how I would gauge the benefit of acknowledging the following car's presence, but if they're not foaming at the mouth, gesticulating wildly or flashing their lights and beeping, I'll take that as a net positive

[johnao]

waremark said:

… my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

… then I always change to a left-hand signal a couple of seconds before I’m ready to move over to lane two so as to discourage any thoughts of undertaking that the following driver may have.

[waremark]

johnao said:

waremark said:

… my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

… then I always change to a left-hand signal a couple of seconds before I’m ready to move over to lane two so as to discourage any thoughts of undertaking that the following driver may have.

Which begs the question of when to move left. We are dealing with a situation here where absent a vehicle in our lane behind us showing signs of wanting to overtake we would not yet be ready to move left (in my case, my default time to move left is when I can see both headlights of the vehicle I am overtaking in my interior mirror).

With someone pushing to overtake me, my default time to move left becomes when the one behind me in my lane is alongside the one I have just overtaken. I don't signal before then because I think it may worry the one I have overtaken, and I don't want to delay further getting out of the way of the one immediately behind in my line. Therefore I don't generally signal left in the way suggested by JAO. John, I am open to persuasion that there is a better way by your normal clear thinking!

[PhilAsia]

AMC243 said:

PhilAsia, I'm not sure how I would gauge the benefit of acknowledging the following car's presence, but if they're not foaming at the mouth, gesticulating wildly or flashing their lights and beeping, I'll take that as a net positive

Valid point, but it's the quiet ones you have to be more wary of.

[PhilAsia]

waremark said:

johnao said:

waremark said:

… my indication means that I know there is a driver behind but I am not yet ready to move left.

… then I always change to a left-hand signal a couple of seconds before I’m ready to move over to lane two so as to discourage any thoughts of undertaking that the following driver may have.

Which begs the question of when to move left. We are dealing with a situation here where absent a vehicle in our lane behind us showing signs of wanting to overtake we would not yet be ready to move left (in my case, my default time to move left is when I can see both headlights of the vehicle I am overtaking in my interior mirror).

With someone pushing to overtake me, my default time to move left becomes when the one behind me in my lane is alongside the one I have just overtaken. I don't signal before then because I think it may worry the one I have overtaken, and I don't want to delay further getting out of the way of the one immediately behind in my line. Therefore I don't generally signal left in the way suggested by JAO. John, I am open to persuasion that there is a better way by your normal clear thinking!

Back to a resumption of normal programming. The timing of the left signal should take into account the effect on the vehicle in lane two, as well as that of the vehicle behind. I would agree with "...my default time to move left becomes when the one behind me in my lane is alongside the one I have just overtaken..." except where the vehicle behind is seen to be accelerating, perhaps with the intention to undertake - in this instance I would signal earlier, in order to encourage a slight delay in the their overtake, but completed in lane three.