Indicator not used on a small round about

lifeandtimes

There's a small roundabout in my house estate that is there to join a cul de sac road onto one of the roads in the estate. If youre driving on the road , the cul de sac road joins from the left. I go by it every day not a problem as hardly many people live on the road that joins it and there's hardly any traffic in the estate.

Today as I was coming up to just at the roundabout another car was coming from the other side at the same time. There was no indication so I presumed the other car was carrying forward as you would expect and after checking to make sure no one was approaching from the cul de sac road i carried on. However the driver on the opposite side turned into the direction of the cul de sac road and had to hit on the breaks and honked their horn.

I saw and heard this and carried on a few feet off the roundabout and stopped to see if the driver was ok but their car continued on into the cul De sac and didn't reappear after a minute or 2.

I'm wondering now if the car had hit mine and was not indicating would they be liable or me for not anticipating they might turn? Is indicator usage a road traffic law and requirement? Other than a dash cam how could one prove someone did or did not indicate

Note there is no yeild sign or anything at the roundabout just this little roundabout.

Any opinions are appreciated

Henry Ford III

Brakes.

I reckon you'd be liable as it's near impossible to prove someone wasn't indicating.

eeguy

lifeandtimes wrote: »

There's a small roundabout in my house estate that is there to join a cul de sac road onto one of the roads in the estate. If youre driving on the road , the cul de sac road joins from the left. I go by it every day not a problem as hardly many people live on the road that joins it and there's hardly any traffic in the estate.

Today as I was coming up to just at the roundabout another car was coming from the other side at the same time. There was no indication so I presumed the other car was carrying forward as you would expect and after checking to make sure no one was approaching from the cul de sac road i carried on. However the driver on the opposite side turned into the direction of the cul de sac road and had to hit on the breaks and honked their horn.

I saw and heard this and carried on a few feet off the roundabout and stopped to see if the driver was ok but their car continued on into the cul De sac and didn't reappear after a minute or 2.

I'm wondering now if the car had hit mine and was not indicating would they be liable or me for not anticipating they might turn? Is indicator usage a road traffic law and requirement? Other than a dash cam how could one prove someone did or did not indicate

Note there is no yeild sign or anything at the roundabout just this little roundabout.

Any opinions are appreciated

There's your problem...

benjamin d

While the other driver was certainly wrong not to indicate, the ultimate responsibility is on you not to pull out in front of any vehicle that has right of way on the presumption they're going a different direction. In all cases the car on the roundabout coming from your right has right of way, even if they're not indicating. It's a huge pet peeve of mine so you have my sympathy, but if a crash happened you'd be to blame.

CalamariFritti

How long are you driving? You don't sound like a beginner. And yet you haven't noticed that indicating can not be relied on?
It can not. Ever. And I don't mean to be smart. I'm serious.

I'd say roughly 40% of drivers don't bother at all. The rest are doing it sporadically and/or incorrectly. People who indicate all the time and do it right are a tiny minority. Something like 5% to 10%. Not saying I'm Mr Perfect btw, I slip on occasion too.

I have nothing to back this up with. Just an educated guess from 25 years of driving.

Claw Hammer

It can never be presumed that no indication means straight ahead nor that indication a turn is imminent. A driver is supposed to yield to traffic already on a roundabout. A sign is not necessary. Time to get some driving lessons.

seamus

Ultimately the law on roundabouts is that whoever is on the roundabout first has right of way. The other driver not indicating may be a mitigating factor, but ultimately it comes down to proving who had right of way at the time.

And this would involve looking at the path of both vehicles and each drivers' description of where they were and what happened.

From your description of events, he was on the roundabout first, then you drove onto it, causing him to have to brake.

Which puts you at fault.

harr

Not relying on indicators was something drilled into me when learning to drive...you see people approach a junction with indicators on only for them to continue straight on instead of making a turn...

lifeandtimes

Thanks very much for your input everyone.

Just to say we both entered the roundabout at the same time but I will going forward yield regardless of what the opposite drivers indicates or doesn't.

I'll just note it is a pet peeve of mine when people don't indicate.

Mrs OBumble

lifeandtimes wrote: »

I'll just note it is a pet peeve of mine when people don't indicate.

AFAIK, indicators are an optional accessory on cars sold in this country*

If you see an indicator going, the only thing you should assume that it means is that the bulb in the indicator is functioning.

It may be a prompt for you to look for other signs that the driver is going to behave in a certain way, eg slowing down, starting to turn in a given direction. But it is just an indication, not a promise.











* I jest. Sort of.

CalamariFritti

It is a pet peeve of mine too. I love when someone doesn't indicate and then they realise that you're waiting for some sort of idea what they are about to do and then they give you this sheepish look as they turn right or whatever. To me it means they're barely paying attention to what they're doing.

If we could all realise that if everyone indicated it would make things smoother for everyone.

endacl

Never trust an indicator on a roundabout.

lifeandtimes

It must have been "world no indicator day" the other as I saw my record for none usage.

Over the course of the day 5 cars didn't use any in my locality and the winner was a woman who was in front of me as we left a Tesco car park.

She didn't indicate turning onto 5 roads (she just happened to live in my estate so I was behind her)

Must think people are clairvoyant or something and just know where she is going.

However can anyone show me any legislation that indicators must be used?

Claw Hammer

lifeandtimes wrote: »

Thanks very much for your input everyone.

Just to say we both entered the roundabout at the same time but I will going forward yield regardless of what the opposite drivers indicates or doesn't.

I'll just note it is a pet peeve of mine when people don't indicate.

If you are both entering at the same time the driver on the right has priority.

beauf

endacl wrote: »

Never trust an indicator on a roundabout.

.. Or anywhere

coylemj

endacl wrote: »

Never trust an indicator on a roundabout.

FYP.

2Mad2BeMad

Get a dash cam OP, saves alot of hassle.
Plus you get to upload all the idiots to youtube

Claw Hammer

2Mad2BeMad wrote: »

Get a dash cam OP, saves alot of hassle.
Plus you get to upload all the idiots to youtube

In this case the o/p was the idiot. He would be better spending his money on driving lessons!