Why do people not Indicate?

WindSock

It really grinds my gears. How hard is it to do? :mad:

dudara

Well as my Dad said when I was learning to drive years ago...


"Don't indicate so much, you'll wear out the bulb"

Mitch Connor

sometimes I just plain forget to indicate. Not sure why. Other times I indicate when there is no need out of habbit (such as the half roundabout at the Firhouse (i think) exit on the M50. I can't actually go right, but i still indicate left....

Generally I do try to indicate early and accurately though.

eddiehead

WindSock wrote: »

Why do people not Indicate?

Because they'd have to hang up the phone

ntlbell

Putting on blusher and indicating is not easy..

Honey-ec

topnutz wrote: »

Because they'd have to hang up the phone

And, God forbid, because it might actually give people some warning of what they're about to do, thereby running the risk that a car might actually get out in front of them...

zzzzzzzz

Is it not supposed to be Turn, brake then signal?:D

Tabnabs

It's a well known design flaw on some marques, they just never work...

NOGMaxpower

To be honest this is somehting that really grinds my gears too. People especially don't know how to indicate properly on roundabouts. I dont know how many times i've been cut off by people and nearly crashing into the back/side of them!

I am so close to putting a sledge hammer in the boot of my car to seriously doing damage to the next gob sh*te who does it to me. It happens about 3 times a day!!!!

I have to say the highest offenders are:

#1 Women drivers
#2 Old drivers
#3 Merc, BMW and Golf drivers (these guys think they own the road more than taxis do)
#4 Muppet boy racers

The rules are very simple to follow and it amazes me how people can't follow them!

Wertz

Why? Because most people on the roads are stupid and/or selfish c*nts with no thought for anything that goes on around them...people don't seem to realise that if we all played ball on the roads and made our intentions clear to other road users, that we'd have a lot less congestion, a lot better traffic flow and fewer minor collisions...

dudara

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

To be honest this is somehting that really grinds my gears too. People especially don't know how to indicate properly on roundabouts. I dont know how many times i've been cut off by people and nearly crashing into the back/side of them!

Well to be honest, you really can't place any faith in indicators. All an indicator tells you for certain is that the circuit and the bulb is working. Just because someone has an indicator on doesn't mean anything.

Honey-ec

It's a particular problem on roundabouts because such a huge amount of people don't know how to use roundabouts in the first place.

Tried to explain it to someone on a different site before and got jumped on by about 10 people telling me I was wrong. It then turned out that they didn't know which was the inside and which was the outside lane...

That's the kind of mentality you're dealing with on the road.

dade

dudara wrote: »

All an indicator tells you for certain is that the circuit and the bulb is working. Just because someone has an indicator on doesn't mean anything.

that's exactly what my instructor told me all those years ago. "its a signal of intent"

Padraig Mor

Wertz wrote: »

Why? Because most people on the roads are stupid and/or selfish c*nts with no thought for anything that goes on around them...people don't seem to realise that if we all played ball on the roads and made our intentions clear to other road users, that we'd have a lot less congestion, a lot better traffic flow and fewer minor collisions...

QFT.

Wibbler

WindSock wrote: »

It really grinds my gears. How hard is it to do? :mad:

I have to admit it annoys the hell out of me too, especially at busy roundabouts where the only chance you have to safely enter is if someone is exiting at the previous exit. More often than not you yield expecting them to come around and lose your chance.

Another personal 'favourite' of mine is drivers who stop in the right hand lane at a junction that is marked for ahead or right turn and not indicate that they are turning right until after the lights have turned green - muppets. If they'd indicate on approach like they are supposed to, they'd avoid a queue of traffic forming behind of drivers wanting to go straight ahead.

OP, thanks for allowing me to rant on this one :-)

ntlbell

dade wrote: »

that's exactly what my instructor told me all those years ago. "its a signal of intent"

I've drove behind people for 12/15 minutes wondering where they're actually intending to turn....

NOGMaxpower

dudara wrote: »

Well to be honest, you really can't place any faith in indicators. All an indicator tells you for certain is that the circuit and the bulb is working. Just because someone has an indicator on doesn't mean anything.

thats complete nonsense, there are rules set for people safety you obviously don't know them or don't obide by them.

fool

Hal1

Its one thing where someone doesn't use their indicator, and another when they indicate and change their mind at the last second. I usually hang back 2 or 3 car lengths at junctions and roundabouts because of this. They should have a point system for people not correctly using their indicators, act the muppet and reset your test. /me hides from flak

Edit: I agree with dade also.

ntlbell

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

thats complete nonsense, there are rules set for people safety you obviously don't know them or don't obide by them.

fool

huh?

What if it was left on? it's indicating right

mr hard char here pulls out and *BANG* ops...well he had his indicator on...

NOGMaxpower

got to agree here lads about giving the car infront of you space. I always go it after having a serious smash due to some tool changing lanes and not indicating so I have a very personal gripe over not indicating.

but hey if our laws let people fail their tests and still drive then its down to the system not the people!

ching9000

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

People especially don't know how to indicate properly on roundabouts.

Oh jesus, dont get me started on round-a-bouts!!! :mad::mad::mad:

We could start a whole new thread on the total ineptness of Irish drivers in regards to using round-a-bouts!

NOGMaxpower

ching9000 wrote: »

Oh jesus, dont get me started on round-a-bouts!!! :mad::mad::mad:

We could start a whole new thread on the total ineptness of Irish drivers in regards to using round-a-bouts!

DO IT rant away i bet this thread could easily hit 100,000 posts on the subject

dudara

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

thats complete nonsense, there are rules set for people safety you obviously don't know them or don't obide by them.

fool

Of course there are rules, it doesn't mean that people obey them.

The fact that someone has an indicator on doesn't 100% guarantee that they are going to follow through with the signalled intention.

omb0wyn5ehpij9

Because the general road knowledge of people is terrible!

JoeySully

i was nearly in an incident with a X5 just last week - if i had believed the indicator. I had 4 other people in the car waiting at a T junction turning right. X5 comes down the road with left indicator on and appeared to be slowing down - i thought oh she is pulling in to the junction here but just as i was about to pull out i stopped a waited to see if she was really gonna pull into the junction - she drove straight past it and pulled into the petrol station just beyond the junction.

I also am under the impression that a active indicator is just an indication that the bulb is working.

nhughes100

People don't indicate because they don't know how to, most road users haven't a clue how to drive when there's more then one lane and approaching roundabouts. I had a handy thing on my last car that just involved giving the indicator stick a little nudge and it would flash for about 4 seconds then turn itself off, should be on every car. Great for changing lanes and exiting roundabouts. As a poster said, indicators are a signal of intent, they don't grant you right of way.

Lets say you're in a carpark at the exit turning right, a car comes towards you from your right and is indicating to turn into the same carpark, you pull out and he hits you because he never realised he left his indicator on, guess who's fault it is?? Not the guy who was indicating and forgot, nope, you are turning from a minor road onto a major road so you have to give way.

Again I have to blame the Gardai, mobile phone use - blatent, speeding - shocking, provisional licence holders who've spent the past 6 months caking themselves are now laughing their heads off.

Now show a Garda an empty bus lane and they swarm to it.

Wertz

dudara wrote: »

The fact that someone has an indicator on doesn't 100% guarantee that they are going to follow through with the signalled intention.

No but their amber flashers observed in tandem with road position and speed and/or evidence of braking should form a clear picture of intention to observant drivers.
I'd never pull out in front of someone indicating for a turn at a junction, if the "body language" of the vehicle was giving me the impression they weren't going to actually make the turn.

People have already mentioned roundabout indication and it can be difficult to read other driver's intentions in such a small area of road at relatively low speeds...but that signal of intent can be enough for you to ready your vehicle for take off (that can still be aborted if the indication signal was a mistake) and in the long run makes for better flow through roundabouts. I use my indicators even in the early hours of the morning with no other vehicle near me, through force of habit...it's unforgivable that a majority of road users can't do it during peak times when roads are busy.

Whilst roundabouts annoy me, nothing gets me more the T-junction scenario where I need to make a right turn, across two lanes of traffic...if idiots coming from my right would signal their intention a 100m or so back down the road, I could perhaps make use of the space that I could possibly count on opening up when that car turns off, look to my left and see if there is a similar gap in traffic from that direction and get to pull away...instead what I mostly get is people either not indicating at all or people who leave it till they're about 10m from their turn and already visibly under braking and changing road position slightly...I make it a point to signal my intention to make a turn as early as possible, both for the good of the tailgater behind me and for the driver tring to exit at the T-junction I'm turning off at so that they may be able to pull out safely...this isn't rocket science, it's simple biblical stuff; do unto others as you would have done unto you...

[edit] Joesully's post is an interesting one...in that scenario where there is an adjacent turn off to the one you're waiting at, the driver should be aware of it and act accordingly (not saying that he didn't here) allowing for the posibilit that the approaching vehicle might be going to take the later turn...I also believe that the X5 driver (someone in an X5 indicated? kodak moment!) should have left their indicating until a good bit later...in that situation that regulalry occurs for me at a local filling station, I don't indicate until I'm right at the T-junction and about 10m from the filling station exit/entrance...

ejmaztec

I thought that indicator bulbs were optional extras.

KTRIC

It is definitely a indication of intent rather than action. The majority of people that do actually use their indicators think it gives them the right to preform the the action rather waiting for permission from fellow motorists.

Pure ignorance as far as I can see.

peasant

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

fool

Huh?

consider yourself warned ...no personal abuse, ok

Kimbot

You mean to tell me you still have not gotten your telepathic abilities to read other car users thoughts???

ntlbell

ejmaztec wrote: »

I thought that indicator bulbs were optional extras.

Only on motorbike's afaik..

but I think most drivers think the indicator lever is an optional extra..

ntlbell

jonny24ie wrote: »

You mean to tell me you still have not gotten your telepathic abilities to read other car users thoughts???

You only get that power if you purchase a 4x4, then it doesn't matter what they're doing...

KTRIC

ntlbell wrote: »

Only on motorbike's afaik..

but I think most drivers think the indicator lever is an optional extra..

Thats right, by law motorbikes in Ireland do not have to have indicators or mirrors. But if you do have them they have to work.

When sitting your test for a full motorbike licence you may be asked to perform indication signals with your arms to substitute not having indicators on your bike.

peasant

I think the fact that on most cars the indicator stalk is on the ergonomically wrong (the left) side might have something to do with it as well.

How can you indicate properly when your left hand is at the gear lever?

Sherifu

WindSock wrote: »

It really grinds my gears. How hard is it to do? :mad:

The flick of a switch?

People actually using them properly is another story.

G-Money

Roundabouts are a pain alright, but that's another discussion altogether.

I don't know how many times I've been waiting at junctions or roundabouts waiting to get out and I see cars coming and they have no indicators on and you end up waiting to see what they are going to do, then miss your chance to get out as you thought they were going to obstruct you, but instead they take a different exit/turn.

But as someone else pointed out, a flashing indicator is just proof that the bulb is working and not the intent of the driver. Sure I've seen people driving down main roads for a quarter of a mile and one of their indicators left on the whole time, then they realise and switch it off and don't turn off the road.

Sure what can you do. In the end you just have to air on the side of caution and wait for a big enough gap to get out then it won't matter if the muppet is using their indicators correctly, or not. Unfortunately in this day and age, that usually means a 10 minute wait at the junction

Mr. Presentable

OP, two reasons

1 They are unsure how to use them and would rather not use them than look the fool for misusing them

2 They are in a world of their own, blissfully unaware that anything exists outside of their cocoon.

I think number 2 is more common.

paddy

NOGMaxpower wrote: »

got to agree here lads about giving the car infront of you space. I always go it after having a serious smash due to some tool changing lanes and not indicating so I have a very personal gripe over not indicating.

but hey if our laws let people fail their tests and still drive then its down to the system not the people!

I think you'll find it's more fully licensed drivers guilty of this than otherwise, spend an hour at a busy roundabout some evening.

nhughes100

peasant wrote: »

I think the fact that on most cars the indicator stalk is on the ergonomically wrong (the left) side might have something to do with it as well.

How can you indicate properly when your left hand is at the gear lever?

Your left hand is not supposed to be at the gear lever unless your changing gears, it's supposed to be two hands on the steering wheel at all times otherwise.

In all fairness it ain't that hard to do.

dh2007

don't get me started on the roundabouts! :mad::mad:
I live in Roundabout Central and I'm constantly thinking people are going to stay on the roundabout cos they haven't indicated and then they turn on thus causing you to miss your turn. GRRR!

Some people just don't know HOW to indicate either. I don't know how many times I've seen people indicating right as if to signal they're taking the next exit! Thickos!

Wertz

peasant wrote: »

I think the fact that on most cars the indicator stalk is on the ergonomically wrong (the left) side might have something to do with it as well.

How can you indicate properly when your left hand is at the gear lever?

Seriously?
How about either indicating before you change down gears or where applicable, just after you've changed down...most the time when changing down I'm doing it a couple of tens of metres before the turn...my indicator should have been on for some time before that...
I'm coming up on my 2 yr anniversary of first learning to drive and this has never been a problem for me...indicating should be a conditioned response, shouldn't even need to be given a lot of thought...like someone else said, it's only a flick of the wrist...

peasant

Wertz wrote: »

Seriously?
How about either indicating before you change down gears or where applicable, just after you've changed down...most the time when changing down I'm doing it a couple of tens of metres before the turn...my indicator should have been on for some time before that...
I'm coming up on my 2 yr anniversary of first learning to drive and this has never been a problem for me...indicating should be a conditioned response, shouldn't even need to be given a lot of thought...like someone else said, it's only a flick of the wrist...

I'm not saying that it is the only reason, but I'm convinced it plays a part.

I've driven cars with indicators both in the correct and in the wrong postition.

Indicating when your next maneuvre is a planned one isn't really an issue, no matter where your indicator stalk is positioned. As you say ...you just fit the indicating in with your gear changes.

It's a different picture however if you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings where you can't plan ahead or where the plan has to change suddenly, for whatever reason.
If your indicator is positioned correctly, all it needs is the flick of a finger of the hand that is on the steering wheel anyway ...if it's on the wrong side, your hand may be busy shifting gear and indicating falls by the wayside.

Ger the man

I remember having a close shave with a bus. He was pulled in letting people off with his indicator flashing right as if he was about to drive away. He took off as I was about half way passed the bus and roared at me out the window as I went by. He insisted he had right of way!

Johnny Storm

nipplenuts wrote: »

OP, two reasons

1 They are unsure how to use them and would rather not use them than look the fool for misusing them

2 They are in a world of their own, blissfully unaware that anything exists outside of their cocoon.

I think number 2 is more common.

I'd add:-

3 Many modern, thrusting, getahead Irish people are far too busy and important to let other people know what they plan to do.

And on a serious note - a surprisingly large number of people genuinely can't tell their right from their left.

Honey-ec

Johnny Storm wrote: »

And on a serious note - a surprisingly large number of people genuinely can't tell their right from their left.

That's true, but it shouldn't affect their ability to indicate - they still know which direction they're planning on travelling, in even if they have difficulty remembering what it's actually called.

Wertz

peasant wrote: »

I'm not saying that it is the only reason, but I'm convinced it plays a part.

I've driven cars with indicators both in the correct and in the wrong postition.

Indicating when your next maneuvre is a planned one isn't really an issue, no matter where your indicator stalk is positioned. As you say ...you just fit the indicating in with your gear changes.

It's a different picture however if you find yourself in unfamiliar surroundings where you can't plan ahead or where the plan has to change suddenly, for whatever reason.
If your indicator is positioned correctly, all it needs is the flick of a finger of the hand that is on the steering wheel anyway ...if it's on the wrong side, your hand may be busy shifting gear and indicating falls by the wayside.

Alright that's a fair point...I don't know how I'd get on if the stalk were to the right of the wheel tbh and I know I'd have a lot of trouble adjusting to having a gearstick on my right.
Unfamiliar surroundings can catch you out...especiallly looking for a particular spot or turn off on a strange road...but I reckon for a lot of the time most drivers on the road are doing a regular or at least familiar route...I'd be of the opinon that that familiarity breeds contempt and those drivers think they don't need to bother indicating, because it's what they do every day.
Throw a mobile conversation or a can of mineral into the equation and indicating just becomes a chore or an afterthought (people who indicate after they've changed lanes on a motorway lol)...

Scottie99

Poor training and they generally don't give a F**k!

superjosh9

What annoys me is the people who clearly haven't learned how to get off a duel-carriageway when turning into a petrol station or estate etc. Instead of using the off-ramp lane, painted and designated for exactly their purpose, they instead come to a gradual and almost dead stop in the inside lane before turning off at the very last minute - at a 90 degree angle. And often no indicators.

No coordination, no thought, and it's something I see every single day on the N11. Someday I'm just not going to bother braking - that's how angry it gets me.

I think the people that don't indicate are very cool people, and someday I can only hope that I will be as cool as they are. I'd love to hear what they are thinking, 'time to change lane... here we go, here we go, HERE WE GO and BOOM! Did anyone see how cool I looked doing that? Ohhhh yehhhhhhhhh...' It's always those guys who drive with one hand resting on the top of the steering wheel, their right arm and shoulder raised in the air - for that even extra-cooler look.

Well, to me, they are the driving equivalent of Sean Bean's character in Ronin. Weiners.

Glad I got that out.

mcwhirter

I have noticed that the Gardai are not that reliable at indicating too especially on roundabouts