How can people be persuaded to use their indicators ?
Discussion
It really drives me mad when people don't indicate, it is selfish and ignorant, it slows traffic down and causes accidents. It also seems to be getting worse by the day.
So, how could the public be persuaded to either resume using their indicators or start for those who have never bothered apart from during their driving test.
It isnt hard, it is flicking a little lever on the side of the wheel, what is so taxing about that ? do these people just not register it, do they get aggreived when pulling onto a roundabout that the person coming from their right is not indicating, then goes left anyway ? do they mind sitting there waiting for car that is going straight on is actually turning, the wasted momentum from having to come to a complete stop ?
ok, I know you cant take someones indicators as gospel but it makes a difference to
your decisions and ultimately traffic flow.
So, how could the public be persuaded to either resume using their indicators or start for those who have never bothered apart from during their driving test.
It isnt hard, it is flicking a little lever on the side of the wheel, what is so taxing about that ? do these people just not register it, do they get aggreived when pulling onto a roundabout that the person coming from their right is not indicating, then goes left anyway ? do they mind sitting there waiting for car that is going straight on is actually turning, the wasted momentum from having to come to a complete stop ?
ok, I know you cant take someones indicators as gospel but it makes a difference to
your decisions and ultimately traffic flow.
Mazdarese said:
They have either not been taught well enough to understand the importance of them - Answer: Re-education.
or
They are just crap, selfish, lazy drivers - Answer: make it an endorsable offence and police it properly.
I vote for the second one.
I am with you on that but it is difficult to enforce, especially given the Police cuts, they will be struggling to attend accidents and keep on top of things.or
They are just crap, selfish, lazy drivers - Answer: make it an endorsable offence and police it properly.
I vote for the second one.
I reckon some adverts to promote it may help, right in the middle of some celebrity reality tv stuff, but then if you cant convinvce them not to type texts whilst driving the promotion of what the pretty orange lights are for might not work either.
Hitch78 said:
Make them automatic - as soon as the wheel turns they glow a little, then start gently flashing and then proper flashing.
Might not fix the signalling for intent issue but would be an improvement non the less.
Yeah, or make one of your front fogs come on depending on which way you turn?Might not fix the signalling for intent issue but would be an improvement non the less.
LeoSayer said:
I think the roads would be safer without indicators.
I think this is broadly true, or that only rear indicators are (in general) beneficial. Moving into the path of an oncoming vehicle, purely on the hope that that flashing light means what you think it means is foolish in the extreme.
Less is more.
thinfourth2 said:
Doesn't bother me
little flashy orange lights give very little clue as to someones intended actions
Strange. In my experience, in the vast majority of cases, the indicators give an accurate indication of the driver's intentions. Admittedly there is the rare occasion when somebody has forgotten to cancel the indicator but this is rare.little flashy orange lights give very little clue as to someones intended actions
Roundabouts especially would operate far more efficiently if people used their indicators correctly.
Hitch78 said:
Make them automatic - as soon as the wheel turns they glow a little, then start gently flashing and then proper flashing.
Might not fix the signalling for intent issue but would be an improvement non the less.
Indicators should be on before you start turning the wheel though.Might not fix the signalling for intent issue but would be an improvement non the less.
Would like to see some evidence that we would be better off without indicators, some research done by scientists in the appropriate disciplines, with accurate simulations run on supercomputers for months, rather than just "I think we would be safer without indicators", I peronally prefer to have some idea of what the two tonne hunk of metal in front of me is doing, indicators by and large remind me that there is an intelligent lifeform controlling the vehicle and is aware of it's surroundings, I as another intelligent, sentient being use that information to make an informed decision about my course of action. The signal from an indicator is not a cast iron guarantee that a vehicle will perform in that manner, it is part of the decision making process, prehaps 50 percent, the rest is the "Body Language of the car and its driver", your knowledge, the road and a whole host of other subtle clues. Do not try and justify not indicating yourself because you think it is better, not without some decent evidence.
I fail to see how we would be better off without them, say a roundabout, I tend to not make assumptions but if someone is coming right, across me about to turn left a signal makes my decision easier, doesnt mean if there isnt one I lunge out to crash into the car that was turning right but not indicating, it remove some ambiguity and in turn allows you to come to a decision earlier, add up all those seconds and it makes a big difference.
I fail to see how we would be better off without them, say a roundabout, I tend to not make assumptions but if someone is coming right, across me about to turn left a signal makes my decision easier, doesnt mean if there isnt one I lunge out to crash into the car that was turning right but not indicating, it remove some ambiguity and in turn allows you to come to a decision earlier, add up all those seconds and it makes a big difference.
Like a great many dangerous and poor driving habits, unless the perpetrators are beaten with a big enough stick, they'll never change their behaviour. Tail-gating, middle-lane-hogging, mobile phone use, fog-lights etc should all carry a minimum £500 fine. In fact, phones should be £500 + 7 day ban, then maybe £1000 + a 30 day ban 2nd time, and £2000 and 1yr 3rd. Life ban 4th. If there is a big enough deterrent, people pay more attention.
J4CKO said:
I fail to see how we would be better off without them, say a roundabout, I tend to not make assumptions but if someone is coming right, across me about to turn left a signal makes my decision easier, doesnt mean if there isnt one I lunge out to crash into the car that was turning right but not indicating, it remove some ambiguity and in turn allows you to come to a decision earlier, add up all those seconds and it makes a big difference.
I'd be interested to know if there's been a study into this too; it has the feel of being one of those things that would make people think more, but without evidence I'm sceptical. Also regarding roundabouts, as a pedestrian/cyclist I cross the road at two roundabouts morning and evening. The crossings are located way too close to the roundabout, but that's the way it is. If everyone indicated correctly for their intentions, then crossing would be far easier. As it is, I spend a fair bit of time at each location, attempting to read the car's driving lines. It doesn't help that at one location it is impossible to see the traffic entering the roundabout two entrances away, which often comes flying straight across, certainly not indicating. I end up relying on watching the actions of the drivers at the entrance which I can see to help.
I would say that on these two roundabouts, when I cross (at peak time), something like 70-80% of drivers do not indicate as required by the highway code. Many seem not to understand the rules, others probably just don't care.
Countdown said:
thinfourth2 said:
Doesn't bother me
little flashy orange lights give very little clue as to someones intended actions
Strange. In my experience, in the vast majority of cases, the indicators give an accurate indication of the driver's intentions. Admittedly there is the rare occasion when somebody has forgotten to cancel the indicator but this is rare.little flashy orange lights give very little clue as to someones intended actions
Roundabouts especially would operate far more efficiently if people used their indicators correctly.
aizvara said:
I'd be interested to know if there's been a study into this too; it has the feel of being one of those things that would make people think more, but without evidence I'm sceptical.
Also regarding roundabouts, as a pedestrian/cyclist I cross the road at two roundabouts morning and evening. The crossings are located way too close to the roundabout, but that's the way it is. If everyone indicated correctly for their intentions, then crossing would be far easier. As it is, I spend a fair bit of time at each location, attempting to read the car's driving lines. It doesn't help that at one location it is impossible to see the traffic entering the roundabout two entrances away, which often comes flying straight across, certainly not indicating. I end up relying on watching the actions of the drivers at the entrance which I can see to help.
I would say that on these two roundabouts, when I cross (at peak time), something like 70-80% of drivers do not indicate as required by the highway code. Many seem not to understand the rules, others probably just don't care.
Fully agree on the pedestrian thing, happens all the time when walking the Dog, happened this morning when on my bike, I didnt mention it as, in general, on PH a cyclist having to come to a full stop at the bottom of a hill entering a roundabout would be seen as serving me right for the audacity of riding a bicycle on the roads that drivers pay for ! As it was I had to stop dead, watch the woman in the white hatchback turn left without indicators then regain the speed I had lost up the hill the other side, not the end of the world but annoying, if she had indicated I could have hung back, still moving, and then when she was committed to the maneuver I could of made mine, as it was I was duty bound to stop as she was not indicating and the assumption is she was going straight across. Not the end of the world but annoying that it is so predictably unpredictable, I look at it as I got more exercise, the car behind me had to stop as well and then wait until it was safe to pass so they were delayed as well.Also regarding roundabouts, as a pedestrian/cyclist I cross the road at two roundabouts morning and evening. The crossings are located way too close to the roundabout, but that's the way it is. If everyone indicated correctly for their intentions, then crossing would be far easier. As it is, I spend a fair bit of time at each location, attempting to read the car's driving lines. It doesn't help that at one location it is impossible to see the traffic entering the roundabout two entrances away, which often comes flying straight across, certainly not indicating. I end up relying on watching the actions of the drivers at the entrance which I can see to help.
I would say that on these two roundabouts, when I cross (at peak time), something like 70-80% of drivers do not indicate as required by the highway code. Many seem not to understand the rules, others probably just don't care.
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