What purpose do front indicators serve?

[rob.imk2]

indicators are to indicate your intentions thats why they are called that. ,jesus there are some strange thoughts out there ,my car has indicators in the mirrors too so even pedestrians as well as other road users can see what i am up to

[wotnobivvy]

If only all motorists used their indicators. Some leave them on as they don't seem to have self cancelling ones (Citroens are especially bad), and some don't seem to know where the switch is and never use them. Others try to save bulb wear and only out them on for a few flashes especially when entering slip roads. The worst are those that forget they are indicators, and seem to think that they have automatic right of way as soon as they use them. I always use mine and have done ever since they replaced semaphore arms with dodgy solenoids where you had to thump the bodywork to get them to work

[Andrew]

I always thought they were not included in BMWs, Chelsea wagons, Mercs. or some dumb chics pink little Kaa

[barry luxton]

you missed out the white van man chum

[ayjay]

Others try to save bulb wear and only out them on for a few flashes especially when entering slip roads.

 

When you are moving off a slip road and joining the main carriageway there is unlikely to be enough opposite lock used on the steering wheel to self cancel the indicator: because of this my car has a function on the indicator stalk where if moved gently in the intended direction it will flash three times and then turn off - nothing to do with saving bulbs.

 

@ Andrew & Barry - both my white van and my BMW have indicators which are always used.

[Vagabond]

I am with Rusty on this. Over near Turners Hill there is a huge notice "Cancel Your Indicator NOW" as a result of several repeats of the scenario he describes - there are two successive left turns, and plenty of accidents at the second one.

 

I have been on the road for over 70 years, on cycle, motor cycle, tractor, car, minibus, caravan, pick-up truck, etc and have learnt by observation that other peoples' indicators are not to be trusted. Note the "learning by observation" - don't wait for the "learning by experience" !

 

If someone signals a turn into the road you are coming out of, wait for the turn to take place before pulling out.

[Rusty]

The more information you have about what others are thinking, the better, in my view.

What other drivers are thinking is irrelevant to me, it's what their cars do that matters and I can only act on that once their cars have done it. Having said that the question was about front indicators, I think rear indicators have a use if we really need them but only because you would almost certainly be travelling in the same direction as the car you're relying on and any errors would be less likely to result in a collision. Even then the slip road scenario is a good one, you're travelling along a dual carriageway using the inside lane approaching an entry sliproad and there's a car travelling on it, why would anyone need flashing lights to tell them where that car wants to go?

[ayjay]

Even then the slip road scenario is a good one, you're travelling along a dual carriageway using the inside lane approaching an entry sliproad and there's a car travelling on it, why would anyone need flashing lights to tell them where that car wants to go?

 

If the driver on the main carriageway is paying attention they won't - but we all know that's not always the case.

 

In that scenario those little flashing lights are more likely to prevent an accident than cause one

[Ken L]

Interesting topic, and more than a little worrying that there are drivers on the road who can't put themselves in the position of anyone else other than that of another driver in another car.

There are literally millions of kids in this country who walk to school. Many of them will walk along main roads on the pavement and cross connecting side roads on their way there.

How are they supposed to know that a car travelling along the main road is going to turn onto the side road that they need to cross if not for front indicators?

[chesters1]

We dream of having pavements