Lane Mitigation

[NitramA]

Switch on your indicators, don’t turn off your Lane Mitigation.
My view is that any information regarding your intentions are useful to me as another road user.
The next time you think there is no one around so don’t need to indicate is when I may just be on your blind spot.
I’m assuming you also switch off your blind spot warning too as that makes such an annoying noise.

[hdasmith]

All U.K. advanced training organisations, including trainers in the Police force, the IAM, and RoSPA, train their Drivers (and motorcycle riders) to only indicate if there is another road user (including pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists, etc.) who would benefit from that indication.

For example, if you are following me down the motorway, in the same lane,, at the same or a slower speed, and there is nothing coming down the lane to my right, you will not see me indicate to change lane so I can pass another vehicle. Similarly, I will not indicate to return to my original lane when I've completed my overtake unless there is another vehicle further ahead that may pull into the lane I am about to enter. However, if the car I was about to overtake had another vehicle in front of it, and it wasn't obvious that they may pull out to overtake it, I may indicate to let them know my intention of overtaking them.

That’s not what I was taught with additional lessons organised at work. With regards to the second paragraph, while I somewhat agree that it shouldn’t be necessary in those circumstances, you never know when some idiot’s flying down the road at over 100mph and you couldn’t see them when you checked, nor the idiot that can’t control their speed and one minute is slower than you, the next is undertaking you because their foot suddenly became heavier.

Personally, I’d enforce that all cars sold now have cruise control, and it’s included in driving lessons. So much of driving safely is being able to predict other drivers. This is a tool that helps that, much like indicators.

[NitramA]

Switch on your indicators, don’t turn off your Lane Mitigation.
My view is that any information regarding your intentions are useful to me as another road user.
The next time you think there is no one around so don’t need to indicate is when I may just be on your blind spot.
I’m assuming you also switch off your blind spot warning too as that makes such an annoying noise.

Reading this again, makes me sound a bit of a Troll.
Didn’t mean that at all. Certainly not aimed at the OP.

[Taff]

If I see a driver using indicators all the time, even when there is nobody that could possibly benefit from that indication, I treat that driver with extreme caution as this is possibly someone who is not fully aware of all that is going on around them and is likely to indicate and carry out their manoeuvre whether they have checked it's safe to do so, or not.

All U.K. advanced training organisations, including trainers in the Police force, the IAM, and RoSPA, train their Drivers (and motorcycle riders) to only indicate if there is another road user (including pedestrians, horse riders, cyclists, etc.) who would benefit from that indication.

For example, if you are following me down the motorway, in the same lane,, at the same or a slower speed, and there is nothing coming down the lane to my right, you will not see me indicate to change lane so I can pass another vehicle. Similarly, I will not indicate to return to my original lane when I've completed my overtake unless there is another vehicle further ahead that may pull into the lane I am about to enter. However, if the car I was about to overtake had another vehicle in front of it, and it wasn't obvious that they may pull out to overtake it, I may indicate to let them know my intention of overtaking them.

Therefore, I think I may be switching off this lane mitigation gizmo as it will severely interfere with my standard of driving. Unless I'm in Spain, or similar countries, where I believe the law insists that you must use indicators whenever you pull out to overtake, and when you move back into your lane after the overtake, whether there is anyone it will help/benefit or not.

Bob

I agree with the above comments from Bob, I have always indicated when moving from one lane or another to overtake and once I have a suitable gap in the nearside lane I move back into it, but i do not indicate to do that.
The reason for the question was last night travelling up an empty slip road onto a dual carriageway which again was empty and trying to cross the white line onto the carriage way it was trying to keep me on a slip road that was finishing, which I personally thought was dangerous.

[Db55]

Bob
Whilst I agree those various organisations do preach what your saying. But I for one say what is the problem the cars are provided with this equipment so use it !! I am sick and tired of people who do not indicate their intentions at the end of the day it’s a flick of a finger after all!

[trjim2k5]

Intersting discussion. My current lane assist system never interfered with me getting back to my lane after overtaking (even without indicating). Can someone driving the XC40 confirm that you need to indicate to go back to your original lane?

Also, you can override the system quite easily by applying some extra pressure. It's weird at the beginning but you soon get used to it.

[Taff]

Intersting discussion. My current lane assist system never interfered with me getting back to my lane after overtaking (even without indicating). Can someone driving the XC40 confirm that you need to indicate to go back to your original lane?

Also, you can override the system quite easily by applying some extra pressure. It's weird at the beginning but you soon get used to it.

Thats correct indicate to return to lane.

[Bob]

I just knew when I posted my previous post it was likely cause a response!

OK, I'll let you know where I'm coming from.
I'm a motorcycle Observer for the IAM, in fact I'm a National Observer for the IAM, which is the highest level of Observer, and part of my role is to train other motorcyclists to ride to an Advanced standard.
I'm also an IAM Master's mentor (the best I can describe IAM Masters is that it is a very similar standard to what was a Police Class 1 standard but without speed exemptions, which actually makes it more difficult).
The fact that I'm both a National Observer and that I hold the Masters certificate means that I am also qualified to be an Advanced Motorcyclist examiner for the IAM if I wished to become one.
I also hold a RoSPA Advanced Riders 'Gold' certificate
I am tested for the certificates I hold approximately every 2 to 3 years.
I also assist two of my local Police forces (Cumbria and Lancashire) with BikeSafe assessments, this is a scheme run by the Police to try and improve road safety with regard to motorcyclists, i.e. to make them better, defensive, riders using the riding, and driving, techniques developed by the Police and detailed in the Road Craft Police Motorcyclist, and Drivers, Handbooks.
I've also been trained to ride on blue lights and sirens, by Police trainers, for riding with my local Blood Bike group.

The reason I'm telling you about the above is not to say I know better than anyone else or, indeed, that I am better than anyone else (I'm certainly not the latter, I can make mistakes and misjudgements just like the next person), but just to show improving road safety, especially for motorcyclists, is a passion of mine. I also learn something new nearly every time I go out on the road.

For an Advanced riders, or drivers, course, if you went through the test indicating every time you made a manoeuvre even though there was no other road user there to benefit from it you wouldn't fail the test, but you certainly wouldn't get the highest level of pass, which with the IAM is a F1RST, or with RoSPA, a Gold. However, If you were to do so in an IAM Masters test, I doubt very much that you would get a pass.

As part of the training we deliver we teach the candidate to look far into the distance and scan back identifying and prioritising every potential hazard, then repeat, developing a plan to deal with them as they do so. Rear observations also play just a big a part as forward observations.
If I had a trainee who indicated for everything, when there was no need, I would be seriously questioning whether they were fully aware of all that was happening around them.

The scenario described earlier regarding the idiot flying along at over 100mph just wouldn't be a problem if adequate observations were made. With good rear obs a well trained advanced driver or rider should easily be able to identify this situation, especially on a motorway where, generally, there are no sharp bends and your rear view goes back more than enough to identify this type of hazard. In which case they wouldn't carry out the manoeuvre. If this situation was not identified and you indicated and pulled out, it would not make it any safer, the idiot doing over 100mph is just as likely to hit you whether you indicated or not.

Too many people nowadays think that giving an indication gives them the right to carry out a manoeuvre.
For example, how many of you have experienced the driver on a motorway that wants to enter lane you are currently in, where they just indicate and then pull into the lane, irrespective of whether the gap is big enough?
I doubt very much, in most cases, whether the motorist that does this has even checked if the lane is clear or if there is enough room to allow for safe braking. A significantly large enough number of motorists do this nowadays.
(Please note, I am by no means saying that the poster that mentioned the 100mph idiot would do this, I am just using it as an example of how indicators are used to say "I'm coming ready or not, regardless of whether you've seen me or not".)

Similarly, in the case of the driver that was unable to maintain a constant speed, an advanced driver or rider who is paying full attention would be aware of this and take the appropriate action to keep both of them and other road users safe.

Regarding the technology included in the modern day cars, such as the lane assist, Blis, etc., personally I wouldn't pay for any of it as an extra. I'll only be having it in my Volvo because it is cheaper to buy the FE, with all it's gizmos, than to buy an R Design to my individual specification, as the FE includes the things I want. In my case most of the gizmos will be switched off, I am more than capable of staying in my own lane, checking my own blind spots, and knowing what speed limit I am driving in.
I firmly believe that things such as lane assist, Bliss, etc., can make drivers lazy, and potentially less safe.
Despite what I've said, once the technology for fully autonomous vehicles has been fully developed and proven I believe that road safety will be greatly improved. Yes, there will be major accidents caused when the technology fails, but I think the accident/death rates will fall dramatically compared to when humans were in control. Hopefully, when machines are in control 'red mist' and the resulting road rage incidents will be a thing of the past!

[Bob]

Bob
Whilst I agree those various organisations do preach what your saying. But I for one say what is the problem the cars are provided with this equipment so use it !! I am sick and tired of people who do not indicate their intentions at the end of the day it’s a flick of a finger after all!

I fully agree with you, if someone will benefit, indicate. It particularly annoys me when motorist do not signal their intentions on roundabouts, leaving me sat at a junction when I could have set off if they'd indicated they were leaving before my point of entry.

However, just as an example, in the situation I described above, if I've just passed you on the motorway why would I indicate to you that I'm coming back into the lane you are in? The highway code states you should keep in the leftmost lane when not overtaking so it should be obvious that is where I'm going to go. When doing this manoeuvre I will just mention that I also do not return to the lane until I am a safe stopping distance away from the vehicle I've just passed. It is a pet hate of mine when people overtake me and return to lane too early leaving next to no stopping distance for me.

[Bob]

Intersting discussion. My current lane assist system never interfered with me getting back to my lane after overtaking (even without indicating). Can someone driving the XC40 confirm that you need to indicate to go back to your original lane?

Also, you can override the system quite easily by applying some extra pressure. It's weird at the beginning but you soon get used to it.

That's good to hear (I've not got my car yet), I may be tempted to use this feature if it is easy to overcome it (but I will not indicate when I don't have to in order to do so! )