Hurtling down a hill with hands on brakes, wanting to indicate you're turning right

[Globalti]

Body language on road counts for a lot imo.

Absolutely. An attentive and experienced driver will assess other road users' behaviour in seconds, whether the other user is in a car or on two wheels. In the days when Police used to patrol and do proactive Policing it was called "copper's instinct" and it was what got drunk drivers stopped and checked. Nowadays you can drink drive and get away with it until you have an accident; I've even heard it's on the increase in quiet rural areas.

Anyway, successful manoeuvers depend on you persuading other drivers to behave in the way you want, which means driving or riding with assertion and clear expression of intent. The IAM teaches drivers to occupy road space, for example if approaching oncoming drivers who might want to squeeze past a car parked on their side, don't slow down and dither in the gutter but maintain speed and course in such a way as to discourage them. When I'm turning right in front of following traffic that means keeping up a decent speed, drawing attention to myself by cycling well out from the kerb then turning and establishing eye contact and giving an exaggerated hand signal with pointed fingers showing my intention to turn. Unless they are idiots they should have no more objection to you doing this than they would to a car or a motorbike carrying out the same manouever in front of them. However if drivers see you wobbling slowly along without purpose and assertion they will dismiss you as of no concern and they will try to squeeze past.

Disclaimer: this doesn't take account of blind, drunk, texting, distracted or just mad drivers.

 

[Inertia]

I can't possibly agree with this. How would they benefit?

I look over my shoulder occasionally in normal riding anyway, whether I'm turning or not, just for general awareness.

Relying on audible cues to tell you what's going on behind you is also insane, especially if you're in a built-up environment where sound cues can be very unreliable, even misleading.

Im not sure where I said relying on audio cues is a good idea.

I meant that if he looks over his shoulder it may help the people behind know he is about to do something. That along with moving out towards the middle of the road to perform the turn should help give them the message.

 

[smutchin]

Im not sure where I said relying on audio cues is a good idea.

That bit wasn't aimed at you. HTH.

I meant that if he looks over his shoulder it may help the people behind know he is about to do something.

...or it may not mean anything of the kind. An 'experienced' driver might use their spidey-sense to make an educated guess but it would be making rash assumptions about the abilities of other road users to rely on indicating your intentions this way.

 

[Inertia]

That bit wasn't aimed at you. HTH.

...or it may not mean anything of the kind. An 'experienced' driver might use their spidey-sense to make an educated guess but it would be making rash assumptions about the abilities of other road users to rely on indicating your intentions this way.

I didn't say to rely on it, just that looking over your shoulder serves more than one purpose. I should probably have been clearer in my original post.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

That bit wasn't aimed at you. HTH.



...or it may not mean anything of the kind. An 'experienced' driver might use their spidey-sense to make an educated guess but it would be making rash assumptions about the abilities of other road users to rely on indicating your intentions this way.

At worst it will make even a nobber driver, who looks and sees, momentarily think "WTF is that nobber cyclist doing?" which is more consideration than the cyclist might otherwise get.

 

[smutchin]

At worst it will make even a nobber driver, who looks and sees, momentarily think "WTF is that nobber cyclist doing?" which is more consideration than the cyclist might otherwise get.

...or they might not even notice.

I get overtaken even when clearly signalling right. You just can't make assumptions or guesses about the behaviour, attitude or observation skills of other road users.

 

[GrumpyGregry]

...or they might not even notice.

I get overtaken even when clearly signalling right. You just can't make assumptions or guesses about the behaviour, attitude or observation skills of other road users.

If they don't notice you are in trouble no matter you do.

 

[Ian H]

If I was hurtling down hill and I had my brakes hard on all the time, I think I'd decide that some urgent maintenance was required.

 

[Ian H]

...or they might not even notice.

I get overtaken even when clearly signalling right. You just can't make assumptions or guesses about the behaviour, attitude or observation skills of other road users.

I find that a glance back can be reliably used to inform a driver that you're aware of them. That's about it.

 

[Alan O]

It's a situation that never* happens to me because, like a number of others here, I don't go too fast to be able to carry out all aspects of any manoeuvre safely** (within reasonable expectations of what I can see and predict). That includes not hurtling towards a turn I'm about to make, and never riding so fast that I'm likely to need a death grip on my brakes (death grips on brakes are for unpredictable emergencies only).

Wet and hard to brake when going downhill? Start the braking earlier, perhaps even at the top of the descent, and keep to a safe speed - and just plain stop if necessary. And, as others have suggested, perhaps make the turn on foot and get back on the bike after the junction.

Realise too late how close you are to the turn and you don't have the time to slow sufficiently, indicate and make the turn safely? Abort the manoeuvre, go straight ahead, then turn round and come back to it safely.

All pretty obvious safe cycling, I'd have thought.

Alan

(*Well, hardly ever... and I'm never never sick at sea)
(** Yeah, I'm a boring old git)

 

[Randomnerd]

Don't hurtle.

Good word. Less hurtling all round Accy. And everyone else.

 

[Alan O]

Good word. Less hurtling all round Accy. And everyone else.

"Anyone know where Accy is?"
"He's just gone out for a hurtle."

 

[Accy cyclist]

Good word. Less hurtling all round Accy. And everyone else.

When i said hurtling i really meant doing about 15 -25mph. To me that's hurtling,these days. It's still fast enough to make me lose control of my bike though,if i stick my hand out for a few seconds to hopefully let those behind me know my intentions.

 

[Inertia]

When i said hurtling i really meant doing about 15 -25mph. To me that's hurtling,these days. It's still fast enough to make me lose control of my bike though,if i stick my hand out for a few seconds to hopefully let those behind me know my intentions.

Well I guess the obvious answer is not go at a speed where you will lose control of the bike if you need to indicate your intentions.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Well I guess the obvious answer is not go at a speed where you will lose control of the bike if you need to indicate your intentions.

Yes but you have to remember that the potential idiot behind me would get even more up my backside if i dropped down to say 12-15mph.