Driver indicating but doesn't turn

I was stopped at a stop sign earlier this evening looking to turn right.
I looked to my right and saw a car and a motorbike both indicating left. I kept looking and saw the car slowing down and starting to make his turn.
I looked to my left and could see a car in the distance but I had enough time to make my turn....

I moved off but the motorbike never turned.
My wife let out a shout and I saw the bike swerve out to avoid me hitting him.

I feel really awful about it. I was very close to hitting him and I was really shook by it. However, it is frustrating when somebody signals and fails to do what they signalled.

Would I have been at fault had we collided?

VeryTerry

You often see bikes with indicators on by accident. It's an easy mistake to make when you're riding as you don't hear them and unless you're looking you might not realise they're on.

I wouldn't feel bad about it as the rider would have realised his mistake. I have no idea where the responsibility would lie if there was an accident.

Mongfinder General

Unfortunately if you had hit him you would be in the wrong even though he had indicated that he was turning.

GM228

VeryTerry wrote: »

You often see bikes with indicators on by accident. It's an easy mistake to make when you're riding as you don't hear them and unless you're looking you might not realise they're on.

And interestingly you see drivers of cars, vans, trucks etc also doing this and they can hear them...

ayux4rj6zql2ph

Never trust an indicator, it is only a signal of intent, that signal could be true or misleading which in this case it was.

w211

I had about a week ago situation where car shows the clear sign to turn left. My car was on that left turn road and I start moving out because the signal was clear over 3 cycles. Unfortunately the driver means the next road, the gas station. We did not had accident only thanks for slow speed. It was the close call.

joujoujou

And drivers of one particular motor brand are famous for doing exactly opposite, e.g. not indicating at all.

Anyway, one of the most important rules of the road says - expect unexpected.

4ensic15

Jackie Stewart wrote an article about this some years ago. Never rely on the indicator. Wait for the first sign of a turn, the driver turning her head in the intended direction, the car starting its move. I never depend on the other driver's indicator as a prediction that can be relied upon.

CiniO

Mongfinder General wrote: »

Unfortunately if you had hit him you would be in the wrong even though he had indicated that he was turning.

Why?

jaxxx

My golden rule of driving which has served me well all these years: never assume anything, except that they will do wrong.

Bigmac1euro

I had a woman do this to me during my full license test and because of it I failed.
She signalled to turn and didn’t turn but she hit the breaks and apologised while letting me go.
Obviously neither of us were driving fast. I gave her the death stare and yeah failed my test. I learned a valuable lesson though.
Never trust an indicator.

joujoujou

steo_magra wrote: »

[...]
Never trust an indicator.

^^ This. ^^

My personal rule is even wider - trust nobody. :cool:

4ensic15

CiniO wrote: »

Why?

He had right of way. You are supposed to drive only the distance you can see to be clear. You cannot assume anything in your path will move. Look at the guard in Cork last week!

zubair

Bike indicators don't cancel automatically like in cars. You have to remember to turn them off and sometimes even if you hit the button they still don't turn off.

GM228 wrote: »

And interestingly you see drivers of cars, vans, trucks etc also doing this and they can hear them...

And how do you think a biker can hear them exactly, because they would have had ear plugs in, a helmet on, the wind blowing and the motor running.

GM228

zubair wrote: »

And how do you think a biker can hear them exactly, because they would have had ear plugs in, a helmet on, the wind blowing and the motor running.

I never said a biker can hear them

Re-read what I posted and the post I replied to.

turdball

If I went by indicators on a round about I would have been in ten thousand accidents by now.

D3V!L

zubair wrote: »

Bike indicators don't cancel automatically like in cars. You have to remember to turn them off and sometimes even if you hit the button they still don't turn off.

My current ones do and the indicators on my past 3 bikes did. They're common enough on most modern bikes.

lbc2019

It’s in the rules of the road not to trust indicators.

Benny Biscotti

Like others have said don't rely on indicators. Especially indicators from a vehicle 2nd in a queue.

Thanks lads, I'll take it on the chin and move on. Thankfully nobody was hurt and I'll learn the lesson for next time.

garv123

One memory as a child long before I ever drove is still stuck in my head regarding this.
We were at a T-junction, 1 car back, the majority of the traffic is always coming from the right out of Clonmel, turning left for Dungarvan.

The car in front began to move when a 52 seater bus that was indicating left drove straight on through.

He had indicated left to exit the roundabout 3-400 yards before and the indicator never turned off.

The family in the car in front were inches away from been bits getting collected off the road.

Never trusted an indicator since.

Wheety

joujoujou wrote: »

^^ This. ^^

My personal rule is even wider - trust nobody. :cool:

This is the rule I live by (well drive by).

Just think that everyone else on the road are idiots. Helps a lot.

It's noticeably so much worse on Sundays.

freddyuk

CiniO wrote: »

Why?

Have a read through this and then come back with anything you don't understand. There are people here who are happy to guide you to be a safe driver.
http://www.drivinglessonsdublin.ie/rules.html

ohnonotgmail

Wheety wrote: »

This is the rule I live by (well drive by).

Just think that everyone else on the road are idiots. Helps a lot.

It's noticeably so much worse on Sundays.

I think that is just a good rule in general.

artanevilla

The best thing to do is to expect all other drivers to suddenly accelerate directly into you. If you work from that assumption you'll be okay.

corks finest

w211 wrote: »

I had about a week ago situation where car shows the clear sign to turn left. My car was on that left turn road and I start moving out because the signal was clear over 3 cycles. Unfortunately the driver means the next road, the gas station. We did not had accident only thanks for slow speed. It was the close call.

Happened last night to me in carrigaline and to make matters worse he actually stopped on the roundabout ,taking instructions from front passenger who was gesturing wildy with phone stuck in her face,I'd say he couldn't see past her head ,and probably couldn't see me

corks finest

steo_magra wrote: »

I had a woman do this to me during my full license test and because of it I failed.
She signalled to turn and didn’t turn but she hit the breaks and apologised while letting me go.
Obviously neither of us were driving fast. I gave her the death stare and yeah failed my test. I learned a valuable lesson though.
Never trust an indicator.

Tough going bud

juneg

Had the same experience recently though there was no speed involved. It's quite scary.

Garibaldi?

Sometimes a driver will indicate too soon, giving the impression that he's turning onto a road when he actually intends to turn onto the one following it. If the radio is too loud in a car a driver may fail to notice that the indicator is on. You can never trust an indicator.

Bigmac1euro

corks finest wrote: »

Tough going bud

It was indeed but I passed my test next time around and it was a valuable lesson I suppose!

stoneill

Never trust other drivers

Isambard

an indicator gives an indication. Just an indication. It's up to a driver to ensure the vehicle is or isn't turning. He/she is responsible for making sure they are proceeding safely.

grogi

Deleted User wrote: »

Would I have been at fault had we collided?

Yes.

grogi

ohnonotgmail wrote: »

I think that is just a good rule in general.

Statistically accurate statement

E36Ross

Lylah Colossal Peasant wrote: »

Never trust an indicator, it is only a signal of intent, that signal could be true or misleading which in this case it was.

I got marked on my driving test a few years back for failing to proceed (Or something like that) Because I DIDN'T pull out in front of an approcing car who was indicating to turn to where I was coming from. :pac:


But I agree, Never trust an indicator or a wet fart. :cool:

sligojoek

Back when I was getting lessons my instructor told me, the only thing a flashing indicator means is that the cars electrics are working OK.

Wishbone Ash

sligojoek wrote: »

.... the only thing a flashing indicator means is that the cars electrics are working OK.

Except if its a Renault as it could just mean that the driver is braking.

sligojoek

Touché

Ger Roe

An exit from a housing estate that I visit regularly, is a T junction on to a busy main road. The main road has a bus lane to the right of the exit with oncoming traffic, but the bus lane ends just before the exit and does not continue at the other side.

As a result, cars on the main road are traveling towards the estate exit junction, in the lane that is outside the bus lane, and they are then instructed by road painted arrow to pull in to where the bus lane ends and then continue closer to the kerb. This lane re-alignment move is required just before the oncoming estate exit junction. Drivers on the main road that are pulling back into the resumed kerb lane have been known to indicate left while doing so, giving the impression to cars ahead waiting to exit the estate that they are intending to turn into it, therefore suggesting that it is safe to exit.

Several people waiting to exit the estate have have been caught by pulling out to continue left onto the main road, assuming that the oncoming car is turning left into the estate when instead they are incorrectly indicating that they are merely moving into the re-aligned kerbside traffic lane when the bus lane ends.

There have been a few prangs and to be honest while it is never safe to trust an indicator and cars incorrectly indicating are at fault, but in this case the road layout design also has a considerable part to play in encouraging the confusion.

Dravokivich

If I see someone on the road, indicator or not, I'm thinking about what I need to do if they come my way. When joining a road, it doesn't matter to me if people are indicating to possibly turn off before where I am. As with that loch Ness movie, "seeing is believing".

corks finest

steo_magra wrote: »

corks finest wrote: »

Tough going bud

It was indeed but I passed my test next time around and it was a valuable lesson I suppose!

This country keeps amazing me

KathleenGrant

Isambard wrote: »

an indicator gives an indication. Just an indication. It's up to a driver to ensure the vehicle is or isn't turning. He/she is responsible for making sure they are proceeding safely.

A town close to where I live has bus only parking a few hundred yards from a junction. 2 lanes on a one way system. People regularly park there so the buses stop on the road in the left hand lane. Cars then drive up the right hand lane (often without indicating) and back into left hand lane (indicating left). The amount of near misses from people assuming the cars are turning left at the junction and driving out into oncoming traffic is high. I never trust indicators alone.

CiniO

freddyuk wrote: »

Have a read through this and then come back with anything you don't understand. There are people here who are happy to guide you to be a safe driver.
http://www.drivinglessonsdublin.ie/rules.html

Done.
I read through this all.

And didn't find a word confirming that person pulling out from side road is at fault in accident, when driver on the main road was indicating left turn and therefore giving signal to person pulling out from side road that their routes would not collide.


So yes - I'm coming back with something I don't understand.

grogi

CiniO wrote: »

Done.
I read through this all.

And didn't find a word confirming that person pulling out from side road is at fault in accident, when driver on the main road was indicating left turn and therefore giving signal to person pulling out from side road that their routes would not collide.


So yes - I'm coming back with something I don't understand.

I don't use indicators. And don't see them either... It's safer that way...

KathleenGrant

grogi wrote: »

I don't use indicators. And don't see them either... It's safer that way...

Be consistent, turn off your brake lights too.

Guy:Incognito

CiniO wrote: »

Done.
I read through this all.

And didn't find a word confirming that person pulling out from side road is at fault in accident, when driver on the main road was indicating left turn and therefore giving signal to person pulling out from side road that their routes would not collide.


So yes - I'm coming back with something I don't understand.

Of course it's their fault. They have right of way. Anything else would be stupid.

Regardless of them doing anything that could lead you to believe they might be turning, they still have right of way.

Sur eif it was that simple anyone that pulls out in front of someone could just try it on and say the other person had an indicator on and get away with it.

CiniO

Guy:Incognito wrote: »

Of course it's their fault. They have right of way. Anything else would be stupid.

Regardless of them doing anything that could lead you to believe they might be turning, they still have right of way.

Sur eif it was that simple anyone that pulls out in front of someone could just try it on and say the other person had an indicator on and get away with it.

I must admit it's quite beyond me how can a person going straight have a right of way if they are clearly indicating that they'll turn left ?

KathleenGrant

CiniO wrote: »

I must admit it's quite beyond me how can a person going straight have a right of way if they are clearly indicating that they'll turn left ?

Rules of the road.

Guy:Incognito

CiniO wrote: »

I must admit it's quite beyond me how can a person going straight have a right of way if they are clearly indicating that they'll turn left ?

Because they have right of way. An indicator doesnt change right of way.

DubInTheWest

It can also work the other way too. A friend of mine was behind a jeep pulling a trailer, friend put on his indicator to over-take the jeep and the guy just turned right as the over-take was in progress with no indicator. My friend ended up in a ditch.

magicbastarder

stoneill wrote: »

Never trust other drivers

one thing i always remind myself of - approximately half the drivers you meet on the road are of below average intelligence.