h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm not a driver yet, but this still seems wrong to me, and has happened a few times with near-painful effects:

1. Driver approaches T-junction from side road.
2. Driver stops, lined up as if to turn left, indicates left.
3. Pedestrian crosses road near right-hand side of junction, in knowledge that car is not going to cross hir path.
4. Driver leaps off from the junction, turning RIGHT.
5. Driver brakes hard to avoid Pedestrian, who is now running for hir life.

I thought it was convention to turn left if that's how you'd indicated. Not according to someone who lives in a street near the route I take to catch the bus...

Whoami?

You don't by any chance live in Switzerland do you?

It seems to be a common sport here. A sort of "look I have a nice BMW and you don't. Just to emphasise the point I'm going to run you over" sort of thing.

One thing I remember most definitely from my driving lesson days is to be very wary of people's signalling.
Basically, don't assume just because they're indicating left then that is where they're going to go. Never start manoevering according to their signal until they actually *start* the manoever that they appear to be signalling.
So, in fact the pedestrian should wait until the car starts turning left until attempting to cross.

Anyone with any kind of driving experience will most certainly not assume the signal is correct. Usually a signal is a bonus anyway

Of course, the above doesn't mean that the errant signaller has behaved in a reasonable fashion!

IMO Indicators serve two purposes on most cars depending on status.

1. On most ordinary cars they are akin to Christmas lights - pretty coloured and flashing in random patterns.

2. On high end models and rep-mobiles they are just orange bits of plastic at each corner that serve no useful purpose at all. In addition these drivers automatically assume that all other road users are;
a)Psychic,
b)Incompetent,
c)Shouldn't be on MY road and
d)Driving too slowly.

I am by no means perfect but at least I indicate appropriately on the basis that I will make damn sure others can see me!

turvy

Whoami?'s description sounds like bizarre behaviour. Generally if a car is stationary, I'd think it's safe to assume it's either going to remain so or do what it says it's going to.

Whilst driving my car I tend to assume that anything on the other side of the windscreen is either stupid or senile. Also I try to show curtesy to other drivers*. This seems to work for me.

*except for those who cut down the side of a line of traffic then expect you to let them in

There's much to be said for that. Of course you do have to occasionally take it on trust that cars aren't going to swerve across three lanes and take you out, so there's a balance to be struck.

When I was learning to drive my instructer said this to me. "You see that car coming the other way - his wife has just left him for another man and he is driving to that man's house to kill him. Unfortunately that man drives a car identical to this one, and whats more he looks a lot like you. Any minute now he is going to spot this car and you behind the wheel - try and guess what he going to do."

I sort of looked at him and said "whaaa."

He said "If you treat every other driver on the road as if that story was factual, you'll have a lot less accidents."

At the time I thought he was exagerating, now I realise he was an optimist.

'*except for those who cut down the side of a line of traffic then expect you to let them in '