Left indicator for ‘OK to pass’
Discussion
Unless I can see it’s clear myself I’m not putting my life in the hands of some random person in the car in front.
No way Jose. They might be a kind considerate driver or they might be a psycho that would put you into the front of an oncoming vehicle.
If they do that I’ll deliberately drop back a bit and not appear that I’m hounding them. (Not that you should be that close anyway) and pick my own time to overtake.
If they want to move over a few inches and increase my sight line then (but not into the dirt and kicking up crap) that’s great and similarity if I’m filtering. Then they’ll get a wave.
I really am grateful for the thought but I never know if it's an offer to pass or simply a signal to show the car in front is about to slow down and turn left/pull over. No biker should be trusting the signal from another road user, especially one that can be interpreted in multiple different ways, so I'd rather the car driver simply maintained their course, possibly pulling a little to the left, and let me deal with the situation.
I think it's a good thing to do but as others have said, I won't pass just because there's a signal.
However, I think your road positioning says more than the indicator. If you move over (safely, not bouncing off curbs or chucking up dirt from the verge) the biker will know what you mean. The indicator might even confuse these days, as it's so rare to see the following biker will probably assume you're about to turn. I have a 30 mile commute so must pass 100s of cars, many move over but I can't remember last time I saw a signal to pass. It seems to have stopped happening like many polite gestures in driving.
However, I think your road positioning says more than the indicator. If you move over (safely, not bouncing off curbs or chucking up dirt from the verge) the biker will know what you mean. The indicator might even confuse these days, as it's so rare to see the following biker will probably assume you're about to turn. I have a 30 mile commute so must pass 100s of cars, many move over but I can't remember last time I saw a signal to pass. It seems to have stopped happening like many polite gestures in driving.
Drawweight said:
Unless I can see it’s clear myself I’m not putting my life in the hands of some random person in the car in front.
No way Jose. They might be a kind considerate driver or they might be a psycho that would put you into the front of an oncoming vehicle.
If they do that I’ll deliberately drop back a bit and not appear that I’m hounding them. (Not that you should be that close anyway) and pick my own time to overtake.
If they want to move over a few inches and increase my sight line then (but not into the dirt and kicking up crap) that’s great and similarity if I’m filtering. Then they’ll get a wave.
I'm only a driver, not a rider, but this doesn't seem sensible to me. No way Jose. They might be a kind considerate driver or they might be a psycho that would put you into the front of an oncoming vehicle.
If they do that I’ll deliberately drop back a bit and not appear that I’m hounding them. (Not that you should be that close anyway) and pick my own time to overtake.
If they want to move over a few inches and increase my sight line then (but not into the dirt and kicking up crap) that’s great and similarity if I’m filtering. Then they’ll get a wave.
I was out over the weekend in the fun car, stuck behind a couple of slower cars through some sweeping but ultimately blind bends on wide A road before approaching a long (overtaking) straight after a junction on the left.
A bike had caught us all up as we went through the bends. I had my window down, arm hanging out and as we approached the junction/up coming straight, I gave the bike a thumbs up.
On seeing this, he moved towards the centre line and once the junction was cleared, he did his thing.
I had seen him, he knew I'd seen him, he made his intention clear, he over took, then I overtook.
If he had done what you say and dropped back after I'd given him the thumbs up, I would assume that he was pulling back to indicate that he was letting me overtake the cars first then he would follow me. This could end up with us both going at the same time and me pulling out on him mid his overtake.
Not long after getting my 125 someone indicated left and pulled into the gutter, I though how great of them until I realised, as I passed them, that they were doing a U-turn. An older me would have steered around the front wing, younger me elected to lift my left leg over it, but at least contact was avoided.
Little wonder that to this day I would rather drivers just carried on and let me choose when to pass.
Little wonder that to this day I would rather drivers just carried on and let me choose when to pass.
ben5575 said:
Drawweight said:
Unless I can see it’s clear myself I’m not putting my life in the hands of some random person in the car in front.
No way Jose. They might be a kind considerate driver or they might be a psycho that would put you into the front of an oncoming vehicle.
If they do that I’ll deliberately drop back a bit and not appear that I’m hounding them. (Not that you should be that close anyway) and pick my own time to overtake.
If they want to move over a few inches and increase my sight line then (but not into the dirt and kicking up crap) that’s great and similarity if I’m filtering. Then they’ll get a wave.
I'm only a driver, not a rider, but this doesn't seem sensible to me. No way Jose. They might be a kind considerate driver or they might be a psycho that would put you into the front of an oncoming vehicle.
If they do that I’ll deliberately drop back a bit and not appear that I’m hounding them. (Not that you should be that close anyway) and pick my own time to overtake.
If they want to move over a few inches and increase my sight line then (but not into the dirt and kicking up crap) that’s great and similarity if I’m filtering. Then they’ll get a wave.
I was out over the weekend in the fun car, stuck behind a couple of slower cars through some sweeping but ultimately blind bends on wide A road before approaching a long (overtaking) straight after a junction on the left.
A bike had caught us all up as we went through the bends. I had my window down, arm hanging out and as we approached the junction/up coming straight, I gave the bike a thumbs up.
On seeing this, he moved towards the centre line and once the junction was cleared, he did his thing.
I had seen him, he knew I'd seen him, he made his intention clear, he over took, then I overtook.
If he had done what you say and dropped back after I'd given him the thumbs up, I would assume that he was pulling back to indicate that he was letting me overtake the cars first then he would follow me. This could end up with us both going at the same time and me pulling out on him mid his overtake.
And if you are pulling out on a rider who is overtaking you then you really need to improve your observation skills.
I don't like cars doing anything
I've had a few move so far over to the left they hit the curb and brake / bounce back into the road
Overtaking cars isn't a problem, bikes can be - I find many don't use their mirrors that much so I have to watch them for a while to make sure they aren't going to overtake
Others seem to get offended and speed up trying to stop you overtaking them or they tag along after you've overtaken
Then I have to watch the cars ahead and the idiot behind to check if he got offended and is now desperately trying to overtake me
Its worse if there's a group, never considering that someone might overtake them
If someone comes up behind you, they're riding faster... let them go and carry on as you were
If I see a bike catching me, I slow or move over / wave them past, I want it over with asap so I can carry on with my ride without worrying about them
I've had a few move so far over to the left they hit the curb and brake / bounce back into the road
Overtaking cars isn't a problem, bikes can be - I find many don't use their mirrors that much so I have to watch them for a while to make sure they aren't going to overtake
Others seem to get offended and speed up trying to stop you overtaking them or they tag along after you've overtaken
Then I have to watch the cars ahead and the idiot behind to check if he got offended and is now desperately trying to overtake me
Its worse if there's a group, never considering that someone might overtake them
If someone comes up behind you, they're riding faster... let them go and carry on as you were
If I see a bike catching me, I slow or move over / wave them past, I want it over with asap so I can carry on with my ride without worrying about them
As a car driver I don't really like bikes being behind me, not for any reason other than it raises the consequences for me if I make mistake or someone else makes a mistake and lies about it to the Police. I've been in court before entirely due to someone else's lies and only avoided consequences because they emigrated before the CPS got their act together. If a bike had been following that car there would have been a death related charge as well I expect.
You're too easy to get squished and then 6 points becomes 5 years in prison. Not that that is likely to happen, just I'd rather not have you there, just in case.
I usually drift left and make it clear I've seen you and you can get passed if you want, if you don't move right or look interested, I'll move back to where I was eventually.
I think if I indicated left and slowed down it would be me actively telling you to get passed, I've never done that, but I guess if there was a group of riders dicking about behind me I might really want them passed. If I was on a bike I would assume it meant the car was stopping rather than just letting bikes pass. Definitely wouldn't expect a U-turn! Ironically that's what got me a day in court, I was hard-right and indicating right to pull into a lay-by, the other driver claimed I was hard-left and indicating left then did a U-turn. Swine.
I can understand why a car might speed up if they felt the bikes wanted to go faster, but there was no safe overtaking spots, I've probably done that before in the same way I might do it if a faster car caught me and couldn't get passed. If I'm daudling along I'd rather get on with things than hold you up. Quick through the corners, ease off on the straights, hopefully that's obviously not racing to someone on a bike.
You're too easy to get squished and then 6 points becomes 5 years in prison. Not that that is likely to happen, just I'd rather not have you there, just in case.
I usually drift left and make it clear I've seen you and you can get passed if you want, if you don't move right or look interested, I'll move back to where I was eventually.
I think if I indicated left and slowed down it would be me actively telling you to get passed, I've never done that, but I guess if there was a group of riders dicking about behind me I might really want them passed. If I was on a bike I would assume it meant the car was stopping rather than just letting bikes pass. Definitely wouldn't expect a U-turn! Ironically that's what got me a day in court, I was hard-right and indicating right to pull into a lay-by, the other driver claimed I was hard-left and indicating left then did a U-turn. Swine.
I can understand why a car might speed up if they felt the bikes wanted to go faster, but there was no safe overtaking spots, I've probably done that before in the same way I might do it if a faster car caught me and couldn't get passed. If I'm daudling along I'd rather get on with things than hold you up. Quick through the corners, ease off on the straights, hopefully that's obviously not racing to someone on a bike.
I had this situation yesterday. Can in front indicated left and was waving for me to go past but there were two issues. Solid white line and a van coming the other way. He seemed to get frustrated that I wasn’t overtaking but I’ll choose when I want to overtake and at that point it wasn’t safe.
I wish people would just act normal as they’re less unpredictable.
I wish people would just act normal as they’re less unpredictable.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff