Always use your indicators!

I'm another who indicates even if noone's around as you've said it was drummed into us

I have not, but DH did and also had tuition for the Advanced drivers test, where he was failed because he did not drive fast enough.

Now, he has never been a slow driver, but he was told he was driving too slowly in situations where he considered to drive any faster would be dangerous. from what he said, I understood there was actually some contention within the Advanced driving world on this subject.

Police drivers are highly trained with specialist driving skills.

Driving at speeds too fast for the road and driving conditions can be dangerous.^ On the same road in the same driving conditions a trained police officer may well drive considerably faster than the ordinary motorist because of his exceptional skills.
To quote from your post ^

MOnica Have you read a Police driving Manual?^

From Roadcraft
The speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean that it is safe to drive at that sped irrespective of the conditions.

Driving at speeds too fast for the road and driving conditions can be dangerous.
1. ^you should always reduce your speed when
the road layout or condition presents hazards such as bends^.
2. sharing the road with pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders, particularly children and motorcyclists.
3. Weather conditions make it safer to do so.
4. Driving at night as it is more difficult to see other road users.

Also
Drive at a speed that will allow you to stop well within the distance you can see to be clear.

Whether Police Advanced Drivers always drive to these rules is debatable!

CrazyH Teslas are very clever cars as they alert the lane changes in the same way. They don’t need keys to open or close the doors, or to start the engine, you just need to be close- by with the phone app.
They can even pull out of a parking space on their own without a driver, which is handy if a numpty parks too close.
The list goes on….

Really Cagsy ? That’s one clever car !

Police manuals for police drivers to obey when driving in situations very different to those of the normal driver including getting to emergencies in the fastest possible time and following and chasing drivers on public roads. They are taught to drive as close to the speed limit as possible on all roads.

Many ordinary drivers have not had the high speed driving training, nor been taught the specialist techniques the police have. They would be very foolish and probably driving dangerously if they tried to emulate them without the training.

This morning I followed a veteran cyclist (lime green anorak) towards a very small traffic roundabout. As we approached she stuck her right arm out, moving from the left lane (straight on) into the right lane, arrow painted indicating right turn only.
Fortunately I was driving slowly as she cut in front of me, then proceeded to drive straight on, not turning right.
I think her arm movement was not an indication of direction but a sign to me to drop back.

Roadsmart is not always right.It is based on police manuals^.
OK.

grandtanteJE65

Unfortunately, the point here is not what we all were taught, but how to get it into the heads of those who have forgotten to use indicators when driving a car, and hand-signals when riding a bike that for their own and others' safety they must indicate before changing direction.

Oh, and let's add bicycle ligths to the list! The number of bikes being ridden at night or in the early morning with no bike lamps, and the cyclist never having heard of day-glo vests either, is quite unbelievable.

We need a massive poster campaign reminding people of basic road safety, both for car drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.

Add to that, cycling with heaphones/ear buds, and phone in the hand also.

Roadsmart is not always right. It is based on police manuals. DH passed the advance driver test run by the the Advanced driver group. He failed the first time because he was adviseddidn't drive fast enough. He was advised that he should drive as close to the speed limit as he safely could. We live in area where, then lots of the main roads had 40 and 50 mph speed limits but tiny windy country roads had no restrictions at all and he refused to drive at speeds he considered far too fast. He is not a particulalry slow driver, but he is careful. Once he had the qualfication, he returned to his old driving speed on country roads.

I will continue to signal whether it is needed or not regardless of what anyone says. It is not going to cause any accidents and might save me from having one.

MOnica The below is from Roadsmart - Advanced Drivers Manual
However I do appreciate many have not undertaken an Advanced Driving Course (I used to prepare people for their Advanced Test) so possibly for them it would be better to indicate rather than not, and is not something that would fail you on a DVLA test.

As Advanced Drivers we should only indicate when another road user can benefit from our signal or in anticipation of such a signal being required.

Whether to indicate or not is like all other aspects of Advanced Driving - there has to be a well thought out reason for doing so. Indicating ‘just in case’ ALL THE TIME, removes the ‘thinking’ and causes us to drive on ‘autopilot’. Anticipation is good but let it be based upon experience and evidence rather than guesswork^.

That is nonsense, you are observing the road and surroundings and deciding to indicate even though it is not necessary.

I remember on my test decades ago being asked by the examiner at the end of the test "when does a pedestrian have priority" and gave the answer "always" to which he replied "correct". I passed
I tend to indicate at all times except sometimes when there's a compulsory sign. If it's mandatory to turn left or right it's really not necessary unless you're planning to disobey the instruction.

I do agree however that it is so important to use indicators when appropriate.
I have noticed how many new cars don’t seem to be fitted with them now. 🤣

SueDoku

M0nica

A friend said to me when I first learnt to drive' Always indicate, even when there is no one to see them. If you always indicate, you will never not indicate whan you should have'

I have always done as she said.

Exactly what my driving instructor (an ex-police driver) told me many years ago. It just becomes second nature.

I was taught by an advanced police driver who told me that to indicate when there is no one there shows I’m not observing the road and surroundings properly!

I would endorse that advice and add 'always [try to] cancel the signal before the self-cancelling mechanism does it for you. There is a notorious roundabout near here which because the approach from one of the three roads leading on to it is curved to the left right up to the roundabout having just left a larger roundabout, drivers who do not cancel their left indicator after leaving the larger, previous roundabout at the beginning of the left hand bend, appear to others waiting to join from exit No.1 to be signalling to leave at the No.1 exit. If they haven't cancelled their left signal manually, the curve in the road doesn't activate the self-cancelling system. many a side impact happens there because of this. Sorry if that's confusing but I haven't the opportunity to draw a sketch.

I was taught to always indicate, even if I was alone on a road at 3 in the morning. Non-indication is maddening, as is the current - it seems to me - habit of drivers clinging to my bumper. Now I'm not a slow or hesitant driver, as my husband would all too readily confirm, so it surely isn't that I'm not driving fast enough. I'd love all cars to be made with an automatic sign in the rear window that flashes up when other drivers get too close (husband says the words I want to use are probably not a good idea though).

My grandson has just passed his driving test at 17. I have told him "Always indicate, never tailgate" which hopefully will stand him in good stead.

MickyD

SueEH

A forum recently asked for practical ideas to make the world a better place.
My favourite was that car steering wheels would not turn (obviously enough to turn a corner) unless the indicators had been activated. Genius.

That’s a terrible idea. So you’re on a straight road, a child runs in front of you and you can’t swerve out of the way unless you first indicate.

“Lane assist” in my experience does not stop your wheel turning but makes a noise to alert you to your movement, so swerving is possible.
I do have more trouble with potholes however.

I attended an advanced drivers course sme years ago and I was taught to 'indicate if necessary'.
'If necessary' means that you have looked every time and are not just signalling out of habit without having checked.
Obviously with the 'lane assist' function for safety I signal if crossing a line to avoid that tug on the wheel but again this means I am aware of mysurroundings.

SueEH

A forum recently asked for practical ideas to make the world a better place.
My favourite was that car steering wheels would not turn (obviously enough to turn a corner) unless the indicators had been activated. Genius.

That’s a terrible idea. So you’re on a straight road, a child runs in front of you and you can’t swerve out of the way unless you first indicate.

I remember my instructor telling me I should only indicate if there was someone to indicate to. He said it would show the examiner that I was aware of what was happening around me. Now my van driver son keeps me indicating.

Janeea - I do too 😂

In Lymington this afternoon I watched someone drive straight through a red light at a pelican crossing. Obviously decided as no one was waiting the red light didn't count.

But please use the correct indicator for the direction you wish to head in.

As we headed from the M3 to the M27 today an SSE van was in the lane to the left of us. He pulled forward and indicated left. But veered right and pulled in ahead of us. A few minutes later he indicated right and pulled back to the left hand lane. I can only assume he was either a) hopelessly lost and trying to set his satnav, b) on the booze, c) on the phone and not attending to the road or d) on his way home from a very late night and half asleep. We increased speed at the first opportunity and pulled as far away from him as possible as the roads were getting busy and he was an accident waiting to happen.

Another thing that riles me is drivers who follow about 3 feet behind me. So close! So dangerous! My father taught me to drive and told me to always remember that many in the cemetery had the right of way!