Indicators - a source of frustration for many
With more than 70% of the population of the UK having a car, you can expect to see a few mistakes whilst out on the roads. There is such a thing as human error, after all. There is a lot to think about on the roads and once you have passed your driving test it is very easy to pick up a few bad habits which make things just a little easier.
While some of these habits do not really have much effect on other drivers, such as crossing your hands when turning the wheel, there are some others which have an absolutely infuriating effect on those around them. Take using your indicators, for example. We have all felt a twinge of irritation when someone has pulled in front of us without using their indicator, or when we have been waiting for someone to come round a roundabout only for them to come off at our exit, meaning we need not have waited at all.
However, non-use of indication goes beyond a twinge of irritation for some motorists. It has been the cause of many road-rage incidents in which there have been more than an angry exchange of words and gestures - some possibly even leading to injury and car insurance claims. As can be seen from these kinds of actions, whether a little orange light is flicking or not when a car makes a manoeuvre is obviously a very big deal to some.
So why do people get so het up about other motorists failing to use their indicators? Well, it is a matter of safety. The reason we have indicators is to indicate (funnily enough) to the road users around us our intention to carry out a manoeuvre. The manoeuvre could be changing lanes, pulling over at the side of the road, coming off an exit at the roundabout, staying on a roundabout, or turning at a junction.
If a motorist fails to use their indicator, other road users will not be aware of the fact that they are about to change lanes or come off at the next roundabout exit, and will not make decisions accordingly. This can result in drivers failing to allow enough room for a driver to move out into their lane or, in the case of a roundabout, waiting unnecessarily. In the former case, it could result in an accident and expensive car insurance claim should the driver who failed to indicate also fail to see the other vehicle in the other lane and pull out in front of them.
Those who do not use their indicators may well claim that their intentions are made clear by their position in the road so they do not need to bother. On a roundabout, for instance, their choice of lane should make it obvious which exit they are going to be coming off at, and at a T-junction, say, it should be clear which way someone is going to turn depending upon whether the car is to the middle of the road and pointing right, or to the left of the road and pointing left.
However, as can be seen from many a car insurance claim form, there are instances where it is simply not obvious what another motorist is doing from their position in the road. They may unwittingly be in the wrong lane on a roundabout, for instance, or taking a turning that another driver did not realise was there. It is thus sensible for drivers to use the only definite way of showing what they are going to do by flicking their indicator on, rather than relying on other drivers' correct interpretation of road position.
It does not appear that there have been any studies undertaken which focus on the rate of indicator use in the UK, but as a road user it seems that the percentage of drivers who fail to use them or use them incorrectly is amazingly high considering the safety implications. In Ireland, failure to use your indicators correctly is punishable by an on the spot fine, and in Dubai drivers face fines and black points on their licence for doing so.
Although there is no such specific penalty in the UK, perhaps more motorists would use their indicators (and avoid costly motor insurance claims) if indicator use was more strictly enforced on the roads.
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