When I was taught to drive (everything was black & white, man used to walk in front of car with a flag, etc) I was told that to turn right you mirror-signal and then if all is clear manoeuvre your vehicle towards the centre of the road.
Just lately I’ve noticed a tendency for the majority of drivers turning right to mirror-signal and then manoeuvre their vehicle towards the left of the road in order to make their right turn easier.
I’ve nearly got caught out 3 times this week. One minute there is a huge gap, next thing it’s filled by the car turning right.
Just be thankful the ones you’ve noticed have even bothered to use their mirrors. Eye contact with a driver through his/her mirrors is never a bad thing.
I LOVE when they just pull out minus both the mirrors and the signals
As a stripling, it was drummed into me to position yourself behind a vehicle so that you can see the drivers face in their mirrors, then they can see you. Either mirror, but better if both.
After 40 something years of doing this I can with some certainty report that there are a lot (and increasing number) of drivers who don’t use their mirrors.
In S E London, your lucky if they use their indicators. A lot only think to put them on once they have come to a stop in the middle of the road, if then.
Thanks for the warning about swinging left to go right. I’d not noticed that.
The highway code tells you to never overtake at or on approach to any junction. There is a very good reason for that. The very fact that there is a junction, driveway, dropped kerb etc should make you hang back until you are certain the vehicle in front can’t possibly turn whether it indicates, moves to the side of the road or whatever.
I’d like to point out that some of the worst people for this are black cab drivers. For some reason, even though they are designed to turn on a sixpence, they seem to feel the need to swing left and then do the right turn as if they are driving a bendy bus! Also, I’ve had a fair few close calls with black cabs doing u-turns on a whim! I’ve only avoided a hospital visit through good observation and always having an escape plan!
“In S E London, your lucky if they use their indicators. A lot only think to put them on once they have come to a stop in the middle of the road, if then.”
on 28 Jan Huckero wrote “To my mind the driving standards of cars does plummet as soon as you go sarf of the river”
+1 on that mate, it’s amazing how little road sense these people have. I think it has something to do with the fact that they spend so much time on the road, that they drive on pure instinct and a belief that others should always give way!
Also, it is now part of the highway code that buses are given right of way over all other traffic. So, does this give them the right to pull out into traffic without checking what’s next to them? I’ve had this done to me in my car and on my bike, so it’s not like they couldn’t see me!
:crazy: