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Indicators on cars


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...If you're paying attention to what's going on (if you are at least half-awake) and if your are exercising reasonable observation (looking at what's going on around you) would you not be aware that there were pedestrians waiting to cross the road?...

 

Of course you would. The question was asked "if there is no car behind you whats the point in indicating to turn left?" and I gave a situation which appeared to have been overlooked by the questioner. Tha'sall.

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And I also said (in the post you quoted) "Use your indicators whenever there is somebody who may benefit form the signal."

 

It follows from that that if there is nobody about who may benefit from the signal, there's no point in making it. Drivers - and riders and indeed all road users - should be aware of other road users.

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And I also said (in the post you quoted) "Use your indicators whenever there is somebody who may benefit form the signal."

 

It follows from that that if there is nobody about who may benefit from the signal, there's no point in making it. Drivers - and riders and indeed all road users - should be aware of other road users.

 

:hihi: I think we are differing to agree here. I'm out (as they say in the Den).

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But, Rupert, it is the case that drivers have blind spots that they should be aware of as potentially giving rise to someone uttering SMIDSY

- Blind spots 91+ degrees from forward vision and those not covered by your door mirrors

- blind spots created by the hefty, thick window/door pillars ahead, to the side and behind

- the blind spot created by the eye's optic nerve

- the situational type of blind spot: "I've passed through this junction hundreds of times and there's never been a cyclist before"

- the blindspot created bang ahead of you when you scan quickly right and then left for your usual quick look'n'go.

- blind spots and poor vision (a daily "this is a bad junction") created by repeated poor positioning at (angled) junctions

 

We're probably singing off the same hymn sheet.

 

Yes, most vehicles have blind spots. But all drivers have necks (and if, for some reason, a driver is not capable of turning his neck to solve the problem of a blind spot, then perhaps that does raise a question about whether the driver is medically fit to operate the vehicle?)

 

Situational blind spots do occur (and AFAIK we all have a blind spot [or reduced visual acuity] when looking straight ahead in low light) but it's up to the motorist to work around that.

 

I used to live in Belgium. Insurance premiums are very high in Belgium. (I suspect that the number of accidents may have something to do with that. ;)) The number of accidents involving cars and motorcycles was extremely high. The Belgians changed their approach slightly and I understand that (since the change) if there's an accident involving a 2-wheeled vehicle and a 4-wheeled vehicle, the presumption is that the fault lies with the operator of the 4-wheeled vehicle and (s)he has to show that the cyclist/motorcyclist was at fault.

 

It may not be fair (but then again, the law does not have to be fair) but for some strange reason there are fewer accidents between 2-wheeled and 4-wheeled vehicles.

 

'SMIDSY' is not at all acceptable around here, either. - But we have a (ridiculously) high number of accidents caused by the driver of one vehicle not seeing another. (Usually about 4 on the same stretch of road every Saturday in summer.)

 

I saw one last week. The driver exited the A95 (motorway) at the southern end and joined the B2. (A 2-lane busy road - an 'A' road in the UK)

 

About 800 metres further on, he ran into the back of the vehicle in front of him. He didn't see that vehicle.

 

He did see the (quite impressive) mountains on the other side of the valley, so he didn't bother looking at the road and looked at the mountains instead. (The driver in the car in front was probably also looking at the mountains - but he'd slowed down to get a better look.)

 

Nobody was hurt. Neither of the cars was local, so that's 2 families with ruined holidays, at least one driver with a hefty fine coming and even more work for the repair shop a few Km down the road. It also meant an addition to the traffic hold up which usually occurs on that section of road.

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