Cars not signalling off roundabouts

[pawl]

It's best to not believe indicators! They might not be indicating what you think..

Still, it annoys me as well.

Annoys me as well.I usually wait till I actually see the indicators switched on

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Agree on the roundabouts but more generally I often find myself stopping unnecessarily because a motorist doesn't bother indicating at junctions.

I was horrified to find my son was taught by his instructor not to use indicators unless he can see another vehicle that needs to know when he's turning. I think one of the main benefits of using indicators is that if you haven't seen another road user, at least they know what you're intending to do...

 

[Sea of vapours]

... my son was taught by his instructor not to use indicators unless he can see another vehicle that needs to know when he's turning.

It's person, rather than 'vehicle'. More precisely 'can anyone benefit from the signal?' Part of the idea is that the majority of people just signal without thinking about what their signal conveys and to whom. Doing as your son's instructor describes forces far greater attention, better observation and better anticipation than simply doing it 'just in case someone can see me'.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

It's person, rather than 'vehicle'. More precisely 'can anyone benefit from the signal?' Part of the idea is that the majority of people just signal without thinking about what their signal conveys and to whom. Doing as your son's instructor describes forces far greater attention, better observation and better anticipation than simply doing it 'just in case someone can see me'.

But surely, it's even more important if you've inadvertenly *not* spotted someone? As motorists often don't with cyclists...

[Edit, meant to add, is this advice on indicating "official" ie written down somewhere, highway code, advanced driving etc?]

 

[Globalti]

We discussed this on CC about 9 months ago.

If you don't know whether there's anybody around who needs to know your intentions, you have no right to be behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, full stop. A driver should know exactly what's going on around them and if there's nobody who will benefit, such as turning on an empty estate or even a main road where there's nobody else in sight, it's perfectly OK not to signal although you should be ready to begin signalling as soon as anybody comes into view who needs to know your intentions.

 

[Sea of vapours]

Arguably so, yes. In theory, however, and I strongly agree with this, the balance is that making drivers actively and continuously check their situation and whether anyone could benefit from a signal is by far the better of the two options. Conversely, 'I just signal all the time' produces the effect of 'I have signalled therefore I can turn', which is never correct.

 

[Illaveago]

My new commute is do-able entirely on cycle paths. I have to go past a couple of roundabouts on my journey and i've noticed that more times than not, cars just don't bother signalling to come off - making it dicey for me to cross from one cycle path to the next. Ironically, it would be quicker and safer if I went on the road at the roundabouts. My son has the same issue getting to school as a pedestrian sround a roundabout. People never signal so all of a sudden a car that might be going straignt on is actually coming off. Why can't people be bothered to use their damn indicators.

I blame the driving test peeps ! They are instructing driving instructors to train people not to use them all the time . I believe it should be compulsory even if the driver thinks that there is no one else on the road as another vehicle or person could be hidden in their blind spot .

 

[lazybloke]

unless you are turning off at the first left exit, you should be indicating right until you get to the exit you want and then indicate left

Admittedly it's difficult to generalise when roundabouts have so much variation, but.... if I'm going "straight on" at a roundabout I will not use the right indicator at all. That's the way I was taught to drive. Admittedly this was a decade later than you, but it still seems to be compliant with the UK Highway code.
More detailed diagrams examples are in a supplement: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/appendix-roundabouts

The exception, in rule #187 is for horses and cyclists when for reasons of low speed they use the "wrong" lane. Personally, I cycle on roundabouts as if I was car. Anything else seems dangerous.

 

[Milkfloat]

See above, but basically each turning off of a roundabout should be treated as a separate junction . So unless you are turning off at the first left exit, you should be indicating right until you get to the exit you want and then indicate left.

So you are saying that if you are going straight over a 4 exit roundabout, you firstly indicate right and then indicate left after the first exit, rather than following the highway code and not indicate until you are past the first exit?

Edit - Beaten to it by @lazybloke, but the question still stands.

 

[Paulus]

I

So you are saying that if you are going straight over a 4 exit roundabout, you firstly indicate right and then indicate left after the first exit, rather than following the highway code and not indicate until you are past the first exit?

Edit - Beaten to it by @lazybloke, but the question still stands.

In a word--- yes.
Because you are not turning left at one of the exits, you are going right at that particular junction. It tells any driver waiting to enter the roundabout that you are going around.

 

[lazybloke]

I

In a word--- yes.
Because you are not turning left at one of the exits, you are going right at that particular junction. It tells any driver waiting to enter the roundabout that you are going around.

So you're indicating to show what is Not your intention?

 

[Mugshot]

I got a bit annoyed driving in France when tackling roundabouts, until I realised that they don't signal at all until they're coming off the roundabout.

So, there's no equivalent of our right turning signal - any vehicle on the roundabout is presumed to be staying on unless it's signalling to come off. When that penny dropped it made a lot more sense.

It's more annoying that they drive round them the wrong way

 

[Paulus]

So you're indicating to show what is Not your intention?

If you want to put it like that. Or, turn it on it's head as your intention is to continue turning right.

 

[Bazzer]

I blame the driving test peeps ! They are instructing driving instructors to train people not to use them all the time . I believe it should be compulsory even if the driver thinks that there is no one else on the road as another vehicle or person could be hidden in their blind spot .

Certainly not in the case of child 2, who passed her test a couple of weeks ago.
She was taught by me to use them all the time; on roundabouts to indicate when going round and exiting a roundabout; and this was reinforced by the driving instructor, (without my intervention) who took her for a handful of lessons to make her test ready rather than the road ready I was preparing her for.

 

[Illaveago]

Certainly not in the case of child 2, who passed her test a couple of weeks ago.
She was taught by me to use them all the time; on roundabouts to indicate when going round and exiting a roundabout; and this was reinforced by the driving instructor, (without my intervention) who took her for a handful of lessons to make her test ready rather than the road ready I was preparing her for.

I know of a driving instructor who was failed for using his indicator too much !