Nearly caught out by uncancelled indicator.

[craigowl 0]

A guy in a big BMW pulled out from a hotel driveway on the left, right in front of me yesterday. I was doing about 35 having just come away from a Give Way and had to do an emergency stop. Nice, short and evenly balanced screech from the Yaris's tyres on hot dry tarmac! A couple of metres to spare. Great luck that no one went into the back of me, too.

 

The reason? I still had left turn indicator going, so he thought I was going to turn off into where he was coming out from. Being a hot day, we both had our windows open and he shouted "Your indicator was going, mate, that's why I did it."

 

He would probably have been blamed most in the event of a collision. Three lessons to be learnt here.

 

1) Never assume someone coming from, say, your right when you are at a halt at a t-junction, is going to turn left just up from you if their indicator is signalling so. (Our local street gives way to a main road. Years ago, my wife was nearly caught out, so we have both been very careful over the past 30 years here after an early scare. Trouble is, quite a few cars do, indeed, turn left up into our street, but you cannot count on it 100%.

 

2) Toyota - sharpen up! Your indicator ticking noise is almost inaudible (after the "inferior" Peugeot, lol) and the penny-pinching ploy of placing the dashboard instrument display centrally to "suit" both left and right hand drive purposes means you can hardly see the puny green indicator light winking.

 

3) Craigowl and them wot's as dozy, stop playing music too loud and having windows wide open so that traffic roar means you are unaware that you have not cancelled a signal, OR, get used to cancelling without having to be aware of visual and audible warning that indicator is flashing.

[Wendy 0]

I was a witness to exactly this happening when I was about 19 and instantly learnt from it.

 

I am quite reguarly accused of not trusting any others drivers - which I don't. No offence to anyone here, as I have done many convoys with you guys and not yet balled anyone out. :lol:

 

Having done thousands of miles on a motorbike (pillion), I have seen a huge variety of antics and bascially just learnt you really need to drive for both yourself and everyother road user too.

[Jim 2]

I believe for insurance purposes however he would be at fault. Apparently indicators are not justification enough to make a maneuvure in your car - you have to have observed the person completeing the move or some similar nonsense for exactly this reason.

 

Like if someone comes round a roundabout with the indicator flashing and you'd expect them to turn off - then they don't - then you'd be at fault!

 

So as Wendy says - just never trust anyone. Wait until they've actually committed to their maneuvre!!

[jazzdevil 0]

I wasn't so lucky in similar circumstances, while driving my Mk1 GTi some years ago... a taxi in Portsmouth was indicating left while I waited to pull out and turn right onto the carriageway.

 

I pulled out... he didn't turn. Result was a beaten inner and outer wing and my front o/s wheel & suspension ending up at 45 degrees to the tarmac... he then leapt out and balled me out in the street and his proper ugly-stick beaten passenger declared that she would be off work for a fortnight and was suing me for the incurred whiplash injury of the cab stopping suddenly.

 

Luckily the witnesses were in my favour and the cab firm paid for my repairs... not sure what happened to the screaming bint though :lol:

[Adz The Rat 0]

I did this a few days ago as the indicators in my Golf dont self cancel