Do you always use indicators on roundabouts?

yer man! · 06-07-2011 02:29AM #1

This is something that really annoys me everyday, drivers not using indicators correctly on roundabouts. It's so simple and make the whole junction run far more efficiently and prevents a crash. Galway drivers will understand my frustration as we seem to have so many roundabouts and the fewest amount of ppl actually indicating on them.

Kojak · 06-07-2011 02:34AM

Personally, I do use the indicators when at a roundabout. It is very frustrating when the car in front of you doesn't bother to indicate. Also some cars think that the 2 lanes (I only use roundabouts with 2 lanes, can't speak for 3 lanes) on the roundabout belong to themselves and drive down the middle. :mad:

corktina · 06-07-2011 03:58PM

Yes I us3 them...and the horn quite a bit too:(

niloc1951 · 06-07-2011 04:04PM

It's the plonkies who don't indicate they are leaving a roundabout who really get me, you sit waiting for them to pass in front of you, wasting your time and adding to the queue waiting to enter the roundabout and the eejit takes the exit before he reaches you :mad::mad:, this type of plonker is only marginally worse that the one who actually arrives across your path, or into your drivers door if because of said plonkers road position you assumed the eejit was leaving at the exit before you :eek::eek:.

Aidan1 · 06-07-2011 06:08PM

It's a simple point that needs to be made over and over in advertising - there is no way through or around a roundabout without indicating. No matter what junction you wish to leave at, you have to indicate at least once.

Not nearly as bad (but still annoying) is when people misuse indicators - usually indicating right when they are, in fact, going straight ahead. There could of course be greater clarity in the rules of the road about this too, in cases where "straight ahead" might actually be more complex than that.

Aard · 06-07-2011 09:07PM

As a pedestrian, nothing annoys me more. I've been nearly hit so often, that most of the time now I just wait until the roundabout is free before I cross.

I wonder if those '4-way' junctions they have in Canada would work here. At least people would realise they're at a junction and be more likely to indicate.

antoobrien · 07-07-2011 11:27AM

yer man! wrote: »

This is something that really annoys me everyday, drivers not using indicators correctly on roundabouts. It's so simple and make the whole junction run far more efficiently and prevents a crash. Galway drivers will understand my frustration as we seem to have so many roundabouts and the fewest amount of ppl actually indicating on them.

Not a problem limited to Galway by any means. There was a roadside survey observing behaviour on Dublin roundabouts which re-enforces my perception that Galway isn't nearly as bad a people make out.

As Galway plans to rid itself of roundabouts, a roadside survey of motorist behaviour at some of Dublin’s busiest roundabouts by Continental Tyres shows that drivers often ignore the rules of the road and show woeful levels of knowledge of correct etiquette at roundabouts.

Of several hundred vehicles observed entering and exiting some of the capital’s larger roundabouts, nearly 70 per cent committed an error - indicating incorrectly (69 per cent); failing to yield (28 per cent); and using lanes incorrectly (28 per cent) when entering or exiting. A number of drivers committed multiple errors.

Both genders are just as good or bad as each other when it comes to proper roundabout usage, - just over 52 per cent of “mistakes” recorded were committed by male drivers.

Paddy Murphy, general manager of Continental Tyres Ireland, says: “We were surprised to see our survey reveal such a high level of non-observance of roundabout etiquette given that roundabout usage is amply covered in the Rules of the Road and the high profile RSA campaign in relation to roundabouts.

“Because motorists consistently overestimate the stopping ability of their cars, there is an important safety consideration here. In a situation where an offending driver on a roundabout causes another driver to brake suddenly there is a strong possibility of a collision. Factor in wet roads, poorly maintained surfaces, or badly worn tyres, and the risk increases significantly. Our advice to motorists is to brush up on their Rules of the Road and make sure they know how to navigate roundabouts correctly as well as keeping track of tyre maintenance.”

In terms of age, drivers in the 40-59 age bracket were most likely to commit an error. The most common error for that group was incorrect use of the indicator when negotiating the roundabout. Drivers in the “older” age bracket (60-80), showing the value of experience, were most likely to get around the roundabout without any errors.

This last bit shows the value of requiring motorists to resit the test in order to renew their license.

Tech3 · 07-07-2011 09:17PM

A driver intending to take the 3rd exit off a roundabout without an indicator on should not be on the road.

SeanW · 08-07-2011 10:43AM

Tech3 wrote: »

A driver intending to take the 3rd exit off a roundabout without an indicator on should not be on the road.

I hear ya' bro.

Back in Longford there's a Mini-roundabout for the Axis centre and McDonalds on the R198 just before the N4 full roundabout. I have to be especially careful because sometimes as I go from the town to the N4 through that roundabout I meet someone coming from the N4 onto the roundabout who does not indicate.

9 times out of 10 the driver doesn't indicate because they're going "straight through" which, while wrong, is logical.
But the 10th time ... you guessed it, they're taking the 3rd exit and are entitled to have me yield to them. But because the genius doesn't know that he/she is supposed to indicate, or worse knows but couldn't be bothered, I'm supposed to be a mind reader and obtain this information by telepathy or osmosis.

People like that should have their licenses taken away from them and be made go through it again starting from the Theory Test and learners permit.

It is for this reason that I, as a general rule and at that junction in particular, yield to morons who don't indicate on mini-roundabouts. Because I just can't be sure what they're going to do.

blacktalons · 08-07-2011 10:55AM

yer man! wrote: »

This is something that really annoys me everyday, drivers not using indicators correctly on roundabouts. It's so simple and make the whole junction run far more efficiently and prevents a crash. Galway drivers will understand my frustration as we seem to have so many roundabouts and the fewest amount of ppl actually indicating on them.

all the major roundabouts in galway are going to be changed to traffic light junctions,at a cost of 8 million:eek:, so your traffic woes are nearly over:D.
work is starting on briarhill r,bout any day now..........

Aidan1 · 08-07-2011 11:11AM

I really hope they use yellow boxes, and enforce the hell out of them. Given the general approach taken by many drivers when negotiating roundabouts in Galway, it could get really messy.

dmeehan · 08-07-2011 11:34AM

But because the genius doesn't know that he/she is supposed to indicate, or worse knows but couldn't be bothered, I'm supposed to be a mind reader and obtain this information by telepathy or osmosis

lol
its ok, sure everyone knows where they are going anyway. they dont need to indicate

johnayo · 08-07-2011 11:40AM

Quote

Not nearly as bad (but still annoying) is when people misuse indicators - usually indicating right when they are, in fact, going straight ahead. There could of course be greater clarity in the rules of the road about this too, in cases where "straight ahead" might actually be more complex than that.[/QUOTE]

This is the fellow that really gets on my wick. He is also usually in the right hand lane approaching the roundabout.

antoobrien · 08-07-2011 01:34PM

blacktalons wrote: »

all the major roundabouts in galway are going to be changed to traffic light junctions,at a cost of 8 million:eek:, so your traffic woes are nearly over:D.
work is starting on briarhill r,bout any day now..........

it'll solve the traffic at ballybrit the same way lights solved the problem at claregalway - by making people use any rat run they know to stay away from it (and actually make the problem worse). Christ now I'll have to start using Carnmore Cross to get home - another junction that has a set of lights for the 3 hours a day that it's busy.

BluntGuy · 08-07-2011 03:39PM

What irritates me is when the driver in front puts on their indicator whilst making their turn off, which is utterly useless.

corktina · 08-07-2011 06:10PM

also an irritant is the people who sit at the white line and wait for cars who are appraoching their white line on the previous turning.If they arent on the donut, you can proceed people.

Roanmore · 09-07-2011 09:31AM

corktina wrote: »

also an irritant is the people who sit at the white line and wait for cars who are appraoching their white line on the previous turning.If they arent on the donut, you can proceed people.

Nothing annoys me more on roundabouts than this. In Dungarvan there are 8 (I think) rounabouts and the amount of times I'm behind cars that stop at the white line when there is nobody on the roundabout is amazing.

I was in the car with my wife one day when she did it, had to bite my lip as we probably wouldn't talk for the day if I said something

On the subject of indicating it use to annoy me when people didn't indicate especially when they were taking the first exit and I'm waiting to pull out, however I now prefer that to people incorrectly indicating as I feel it is more dangerous. I now see people more and more indicating to take first exit and then taking the second one perhaps thinking that any indication will do.

IRISH VEGAS · 09-07-2011 09:40AM

niloc1951 wrote: »

It's the plonkies who don't indicate they are leaving a roundabout who really get me, you sit waiting for them to pass in front of you, wasting your time and adding to the queue waiting to enter the roundabout and the eejit takes the exit before he reaches you :mad::mad:, this type of plonker is only marginally worse that the one who actually arrives across your path, or into your drivers door if because of said plonkers road position you assumed the eejit was leaving at the exit before you :eek::eek:.

next time watch for the drivers hands on thier wheel,if you can you can i find i read cars turns alot better

IRISH VEGAS · 09-07-2011 09:46AM

Aard wrote: »

As a pedestrian, nothing annoys me more. I've been nearly hit so often, that most of the time now I just wait until the roundabout is free before I cross.

I wonder if those '4-way' junctions they have in Canada would work here. At least people would realise they're at a junction and be more likely to indicate.

Then it would be the Califonia roll at a 4 way stop:P

murphaph · 10-07-2011 01:39PM

SeanW wrote: »

I hear ya' bro.

Back in Longford there's a Mini-roundabout for the Axis centre and McDonalds on the R198 just before the N4 full roundabout. I have to be especially careful because sometimes as I go from the town to the N4 through that roundabout I meet someone coming from the N4 onto the roundabout who does not indicate.

9 times out of 10 the driver doesn't indicate because they're going "straight through" which, while wrong, is logical.
But the 10th time ... you guessed it, they're taking the 3rd exit and are entitled to have me yield to them. But because the genius doesn't know that he/she is supposed to indicate, or worse knows but couldn't be bothered, I'm supposed to be a mind reader and obtain this information by telepathy or osmosis.

People like that should have their licenses taken away from them and be made go through it again starting from the Theory Test and learners permit.

It is for this reason that I, as a general rule and at that junction in particular, yield to morons who don't indicate on mini-roundabouts. Because I just can't be sure what they're going to do.

When I did my bike test in Raheny (millions of mini-roundabouts in and around the area at the time) my pre-test instructor told me "don't try to signal off a mini-roundabout if you're turning right" and I followed his instructions and passed no probs. To this day I am not sure of the legality of this but when riding a bike it makes it quite dangerous to be trying to signal right then immediately left while trying to control the thing. I am not even sure mini-roundabouts are even defined anywhere in Irish law.

As usual, the powers that be (councils, NRA etc.) could really do a better job signing roundabouts in a legal manner and thus setting the proper example (doesn't excuse crap driving mind).

Check out the new RSA video on "how to negotiate roundabouts" and spot the missing sign (possibly the most important sign of all for a roundabout, legally) on the N52, new build national primary road. Absolutely no excuse for missing this sign there.

Room for improvement from all quarters. Imagine we had some of the more complex multiple mini-roundabout type junctions you see in the UK! :eek:

Loopie · 10-07-2011 01:45PM

My dad taught me to drive when I was a teenager. The one thing he hammered into us from day one of chucking the car along the back county roads was lane discipline and the use of indicators. It stuck with me forever since then so yep, I can say I always indicate on roundabouts.

Do you always use indicators on roundabouts?

Do you always indicate on roundabouts? 88 votes

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