I notice that a lot of drivers do it "because they should" and by that, what I'm saying is that when I drive my car with L plates on, I notice people in front of me signalling to go around parked cars and all sorts of things whereas I don't see so much of that when I haven't got the L plates on.
I can only conclude that those drivers are aware that a Driving Instructor is behind them and as a result, they are paying more attention to their driving which I suppose is a good thing really, but the truth is that it doesn't really bother me whether you signal to go around a parked car or not and I'll attempt to explain why that is.
Official advice for drivers is that you don't usually need to give signals to go around parked cars. The reason for that is simple - the driver behind you can usually see the parked car that you're going to drive around, so he doesn't really "need" you to tell him you're going to drive around it - he's actually expecting you to do so being as jumping it, tunneling under it or stopping to turn around and go the other direction don't seem like very likely options for you to take!
Truck drivers, bus drivers and anyone else who might have fair reason to think that the traffic behind them can't see up the road ARE encouraged to signal to go around those kinds of obstructions because it's a fair assertion that the following driver might not be aware of the parked car. Even this wouldn't really be necessary if a decent driver was following you though, as they'd hang back a bit and position themselves in the road to make sure that they could see past the vehicle in front of them.
Anticipation is a key skill of driving and good drivers will constantly be looking to gather information about the road ahead, including (but limiting themselves to) signals given by others in order to plan their own actions. Where they can't see, they will simply position themselves so that they can see - it's essential to good decision making and if I can see another vehicle driving really close behind an HGV in a position where they can neither be seen by the HGV driver or see up the road beyond the trailer doors, I know that I'm following somebody who is a high risk to the rest of us and treat him with caution!
Signals we can use in the car include:
- Direction indicators
- Hazard warning lights
- Brake lights
- Reverse lights
- Flashed headlights
- Arm signals
- Speed
- Road position
The intention of a signal is to communicate to other drivers what you intend to do, and good signals will always convey this message in good time and without the possibility of misunderstanding.
So for going around a parked car, early positioning tells us that you've seen it and intend to go around it, reduced speeds / brake lights tell us that you're considering the safety of the manoeuvre (perhaps there's oncoming traffic) and eventually allow us to predict whether you are actually stopping or not - what value does a flashing amber light on your right hand side add?
Likewise where there are two junctions on the left and you intend to turn into the 2nd one, the reducing speed tells us that you're planning something, staying in the normal driving position of 1mtr from the kerb suggests that you're not planning pull up at the side of the road, as does the final approach speed of perhaps 10mph which would be consistent with a manoeuvre into one of those side roads. In this case, an early direction indicator would be a problem because it suggests that the 1st opening is your intended destination so this signal can only be given once we are committed to driving past it. In fact, the fact that a left hand direction indicator was absent in this case, would be a reason for me (if it was me following you) to expect very early on in the process that you were intending to take that 2nd opening.
Using signals doesn't give priority and if you're good at using them, you should never use them in such a manner that they require any other driver to slow down, or move into a different position on the road to accommodate you - if this is needed, then the manoeuvre isn't safe to carry out and you should consider safer options.
With this in mind, many advanced driving organisations spend a lot of time discussing why signals are not necessary in a lot of cases. When the thought process is taken to the extreme, and if you're driving well, a case can almost always be made in favour of not signalling because it's un-necessary! These discussions are almost always referring to left and right direction indicators though and ignore the information conveyed by the vehicle's speed and position which is of particular value to those we share the road with. My own view on this is that it seems un-necessary to constantly debate it! If the purpose of those conversations to make us all better at using signals or to is it to win some sort of competition between experts equally qualified experts? Ultimately, I can't see that there is ever any real harm in giving signals with the simple intention of communicating your intentions to those around you, even though it doesn't effect them at all.
And that, ultimately is why I'm not bothered if you want to signal to go around parked cars or not!
Nick Heath Driver Training is located in Rode Heath on the Staffordshire / Cheshire border and provides driving training services to those looking to either improve their driving or learn from scratch. In addition to media work, we conduct Taxi Driver Assessments for local authorities and offer Advanced Driver Training and Testing, Motorway Training and Fuel Efficient Driver Training alongside refresher courses and learner driving lessons. We are ORDIT registered to provide Driving Instructor Training and are listed on the DVSA's register of Fleet Trainers so we can help you with your business needs.
More details are available on our website www.nickheathdrivertraining.org.uk
