Indicators, do we really need them?

[Rikki Kitto]

OK, I am out all day training people to ride motorcycles as my profession. Lately I have noticed that many people just don't bother to use there indicators any more. Now usually this doesn't bother me but when I have a nervous learner rider in front of me who freaks out at the last minute and does an emergancy stop simply because some inconsiderate twa** can't be a***d to use his/her indicators it really pi**** me off Any one got opinions on this? Please use them, they are there for good reason.

[Colesy]

No indicators on roundabouts piss me off the most. Driving standards really are dropping everyone just potters along at 40-50mph in a complete word of their own with complete disregard for the rules/etiquette of the road. 50 limits are popping up everywhere too.

Plus some ***** scrapped my bumper and cracked the indicator in the last few days, they are everywhere.

[Dan]

Sometimes it's mis-use that's worse than non-use.

The worst one at roundabouts: where you're sat at the entry, car coming around puts its left indicator on as if to leave the roundabout at the exit where you are - you get ready to go, until at the last moment you realise they're continuing round to the next exit and just decided to put their indicator on a whole exit early.

Other pet peve: people on the motorway who put their signal on to change lane... but only when they're already half way over. Or folks that think having an indicator on gives them a right to push into the 1mm space in front of you. That just leaves me thinking, "honestly, why be a *****? If you'd put your signal on and gave it a second I'd have backed off to leave a gap and flashed you in!".

The best thing you can do is take other people's signals (or lack of) as advisory. It's just one thing to factor in among all the other information you have. Think: does their position and speed make sense for the signal they're giving? etc.

I'm sure with your profession it pisses you off more than most, since you spend all day trying to get people into good habits and are trained to pick up on the bad ones (and I know that even when you're not actively training, you still start subconsciously commenting on other drivers' faults!).

[QuattroFever]

No "etiquette of the road" spot on.

I think it's a viscious circle....

People get ignored and stitched up when they indicate because it gives away their intentions to some drivers that then act on that by deliberately stopping them from making their manouver. So the next time they think "sod it if I indicate no one will let me out so i'll just go for it"

Then they pull out on someone without indicating, that person goes on to try and anticipate someones intentions and speed up\brake\turn and block them before they get pulled out on or whatever and on it goes....kind of "them or me" attitude I supppose.