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From: JNugent on 13 Jul 2010 04:24
alan.holmes wrote:

> I find that often I am following a car, which suddenly rams on it's brakes
> and indicates to turn left immediately when they get to the turning!

> I was always taught to indicate early at least 50 - 100 yards before the
> turnoff, but few, if any drivers these days do that, they all seem to wait
> until they are just about to turn then indicate and turn.


I agree on the "correct" way to do it, and in an ideal world one would always
do it. But there can be situations where the left-turning driver judges that
not indiucating left in advance can be a wise(r) way to proceed than the
standard method.

A good example would be approaching your left turn and noting that there is a
large HGV or a bus waiting to turn right into it from the opposite direction.
Give the driver enough notice and he'll be tempted to turn in front of you
and then you'll be stuck behind him. And that is Not Good (depending on the
type of road the turning is, of course).

A safe left turn is nowhere near as dependent on prior signalling as a safe
right turn.
From: Ian Jackson on 13 Jul 2010 04:47
In message <8a2m5sF8clU1(a)mid.individual.net>, JNugent
<jenningsltd(a)fastmail.fm> writes
>alan.holmes wrote:
>
>> I find that often I am following a car, which suddenly rams on it's
>>brakes and indicates to turn left immediately when they get to the
>>turning!
>
>> I was always taught to indicate early at least 50 - 100 yards before
>>the turnoff, but few, if any drivers these days do that, they all seem
>>to wait until they are just about to turn then indicate and turn.
>
>
>I agree on the "correct" way to do it, and in an ideal world one would
>always do it. But there can be situations where the left-turning driver
>judges that not indiucating left in advance can be a wise(r) way to
>proceed than the standard method.
>
>A good example would be approaching your left turn and noting that
>there is a large HGV or a bus waiting to turn right into it from the
>opposite direction. Give the driver enough notice and he'll be tempted
>to turn in front of you and then you'll be stuck behind him. And that
>is Not Good (depending on the type of road the turning is, of course).
>
>A safe left turn is nowhere near as dependent on prior signalling as a
>safe right turn.

Another time when you don't want to start indicating too early is (say)
when there are TWO left turns, close together, and you want to take the
second. Someone emerging from the first left turn is very likely (and
quite justifiably) to assume that you are going to take the first, and
pull out straight in front of you.

In such circumstances, until you reach the first left turn, it is better
to simply to drop a hint to following traffic by dabbing your brake
pedal just sufficiently to flash the brake lights, without necessarily
slowing down. They may wonder 'what the hell you're messing about at',
but it avoids an accident.
--
Ian
From: brass monkey on 13 Jul 2010 05:40

"Ian Jackson" <ianREMOVETHISjackson(a)g3ohx.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:2xqMuzLbgCPMFwWg(a)g3ohx.demon.co.uk...
> In message <8a2m5sF8clU1(a)mid.individual.net>, JNugent
> <jenningsltd(a)fastmail.fm> writes
>>alan.holmes wrote:
>>
>>> I find that often I am following a car, which suddenly rams on it's
>>> brakes and indicates to turn left immediately when they get to the
>>> turning!
>>
>>> I was always taught to indicate early at least 50 - 100 yards before the
>>> turnoff, but few, if any drivers these days do that, they all seem to
>>> wait until they are just about to turn then indicate and turn.
>>
>>
>>I agree on the "correct" way to do it, and in an ideal world one would
>>always do it. But there can be situations where the left-turning driver
>>judges that not indiucating left in advance can be a wise(r) way to
>>proceed than the standard method.
>>
>>A good example would be approaching your left turn and noting that there
>>is a large HGV or a bus waiting to turn right into it from the opposite
>>direction. Give the driver enough notice and he'll be tempted to turn in
>>front of you and then you'll be stuck behind him. And that is Not Good
>>(depending on the type of road the turning is, of course).
>>
>>A safe left turn is nowhere near as dependent on prior signalling as a
>>safe right turn.
>
> Another time when you don't want to start indicating too early is (say)
> when there are TWO left turns, close together, and you want to take the
> second. Someone emerging from the first left turn is very likely (and
> quite justifiably) to assume that you are going to take the first, and
> pull out straight in front of you.

He shouldn't be "assuming" anything. Treat everyone as an idiot.

> In such circumstances, until you reach the first left turn, it is better
> to simply to drop a hint to following traffic by dabbing your brake pedal
> just sufficiently to flash the brake lights, without necessarily slowing
> down. They may wonder 'what the hell you're messing about at', but it
> avoids an accident.
> --
> Ian


From: Squashme on 13 Jul 2010 07:14
On 13 July, 09:24, JNugent <jennings...(a)fastmail.fm> wrote:
> alan.holmes wrote:
> > I find that often I am following a car, which suddenly rams on it's brakes
> > and indicates to turn left immediately when they get to the turning!
> > I was always taught to indicate early at least 50 - 100 yards before the
> > turnoff, but few, if any drivers these days do that, they all seem to wait
> > until they are just about to turn then indicate and turn.
>
> I agree on the "correct" way to do it, and in an ideal world one would always
> do it. But there can be situations where the left-turning driver judges that
> not indiucating left in advance can be a wise(r) way to proceed than the
> standard method.
>
> A good example would be approaching your left turn and noting that there is a
> large HGV or a bus waiting to turn right into it from the opposite direction.
> Give the driver enough notice and he'll be tempted to turn in front of you
> and then you'll be stuck behind him. And that is Not Good (depending on the
> type of road the turning is, of course).
>

And that would never do. Flippin' kids!

From: JNugent on 13 Jul 2010 07:57
Squashme wrote:

> JNugent <jennings...(a)fastmail.fm> wrote:
>> alan.holmes wrote:

>>> I find that often I am following a car, which suddenly rams on it's brakes
>>> and indicates to turn left immediately when they get to the turning!
>>> I was always taught to indicate early at least 50 - 100 yards before the
>>> turnoff, but few, if any drivers these days do that, they all seem to wait
>>> until they are just about to turn then indicate and turn.

>> I agree on the "correct" way to do it, and in an ideal world one would always
>> do it. But there can be situations where the left-turning driver judges that
>> not indiucating left in advance can be a wise(r) way to proceed than the
>> standard method.
>> A good example would be approaching your left turn and noting that there is a
>> large HGV or a bus waiting to turn right into it from the opposite direction.
>> Give the driver enough notice and he'll be tempted to turn in front of you
>> and then you'll be stuck behind him. And that is Not Good (depending on the
>> type of road the turning is, of course).

> And that would never do.

Absolutely. If it is easily avoided (and it is), it's better avoided.
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