Indicating when changing lanes - do you?

[ismellburning]

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?

[ismellburning]

Cyder said:

But it still has to be safer, it gives the person behind who you haven't spotted the opportunity to react and hit the brakes as they realise what you're doing.

This is my point about indicating where it's appropriate, though. If there's closing traffic in the lane you're about to move into, you indicate.

If your manoeuvre won't cause anyone else to change speed or direction, or indeed won't be seen by anyone else, you don't.

[ismellburning]

silverfoxcc said:

'Although i see traffic coming up on me, i will pull out as i am indicating irrespective of the outcome'

You are wrong

[ismellburning]

LFAwhoosh said:

As another example - airline pilots have anti collision lights and a TCAS system to help avoid near misses. For example in a head on scenario, TCAS will exchange data between the two converging aircraft and instruct one pilot to dive and another to climb( to avoid them both deciding to go the same way).

TCAS isn't really there to replace observation, though. Commercial jets have enormous blindspots, plus threats can come from in front, behind, either side and from above and below. It would be possible, with the most observant pilot in the world, to still have closing traffic cause a threat.

It would be possible to safely drive hundreds of miles without indication as long as you were practising very diligent observation. The same would not be true of switching off a TCAS system.