A strange local traffic signal...(indicator for overtaking)

autozealot · 21st June 2006, 23:23

Yes, this practice of switching on the RHS indicator is widely practiced (mostly by older truck/ bus drivers) as a signal allowing to be overtake from the right. But quite a few modern-day drivers of heavy vehicles are not doing so.
Has anybody noticed this on the ghats or may be roads with lots of curves & bends, that the vehicle in front will just give a short (about 2 blinks) turn indicator which gives a fair idea to the person following him as to how the road will turn. Mostly happens when a taller vehicle is moving ahead of shorter one. I think this is meaningful as it cautions the driver of the car moving behind with regard to the direction in which he should be ready to turn.

Any comments!!!

az

Samurai · 21st June 2006, 23:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMAG

You might have to jog your memory here- at the time of applying for a drivers license, the candidate is required to identify different signals. They tell you then itself the difference between a right indicator in city vs. a right indicator on a highway

Jogging my memory won't help. In the 80s when I got my Indian license almost nobody used turn indicators and most vehicles didn't have it. I passed the test showing hand signals. When I got US license, the turn signals were used for turning and not for yielding. There they use hazard lights for yielding.

Quote:

Originally Posted by theMAG

Right indicator on a highway - as you found out post-facto, is the signal from the guy in front for you to overtake him. The reason highways vehicle use light signals to communicate is for safety and visibility

This is totally news to me. Can you point me to some official source on this.

Sankar · 22nd June 2006, 00:08

Even i did not come across such a rule/info while i took my licence. The right indicator means only one thing "im takin a right turn/i'm changin lane to the right". The use of right indicator to give permission to overtake is misleading. Think you're about to take a right turn and you put on the indicator and the chap following you misinterprets the signal...scary ain't it. So don't use the right indicator signal. It is wrong.

The left indicator can be used to tell the driver that he can overtake, that seems sensible and not that dangerous. I use this signal and slightly pull to the left side of the road when i give the ok for the guy follwing to overtake, works fine..

And while reading the UK highway code i didn't come across any form of signalling that is to be used when somebody is trying to overtake you or when you want to give the ok for overtaking. All the responsibility of the manoeuvre lies with the vehicle doing the overtaking.

Flashing the signal in UK means "i yield", exactly opposite to what we are used to here.

khanak · 22nd June 2006, 01:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrag

I have seen buses in Himachal Pradesh which had a separate "Pass" indicator next to the right rear indicator - my guess is that the usage of this has gradually led to the usage of the right indicator as the pass indicator.

Ever wondered why every truck has HORN OK PLEASE written on it. Its not cos truck drivers are stupid. its actually a rule from when there was a "pass" indicator. ud honk if you want to overtake and the truck driver would turn on the pass indicator if its safe for you to pass. The pass indicator was under the OK and thus HORN OK PLEASE makes sence. Today there arent any indicators left. but you still haev to write HORN OK PLEASE behind your truck. I think you also have to write Mera Bharat Mahaan at the back and Goods Carrier in the front

Read about this in an auto magazine. pretty interesting .......

varunroy · 23rd June 2006, 15:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by khanak

Ever wondered why every truck has HORN OK PLEASE written on it. Its not cos truck drivers are stupid. its actually a rule from when there was a "pass" indicator. ud honk if you want to overtake and the truck driver would turn on the pass indicator if its safe for you to pass. The pass indicator was under the OK and thus HORN OK PLEASE makes sence. Today there arent any indicators left. but you still haev to write HORN OK PLEASE behind your truck. I think you also have to write Mera Bharat Mahaan at the back and Goods Carrier in the front

Read about this in an auto magazine. pretty interesting .......

Also seen on Public Carriers
" Hum do Hamare do" seen some years back has become "WE TWO OURS ONE ". I wonder when it would read "WE TWO OURS NONE " or
" YOU ONE I ONE OURS NONE" . Boy, times are changing fast.

In the 70's when the country was in a State of Emergency, it was compulsory to write " NATION IS ON THE MOVE " and besides that youcould read " Speed 40 KM per hour ".

Do we have a thread on these writings. It would make great fun reading about them from all the different places of India. One can also imagine an old piece of footwear hanging in the front just below the Radiator.

On highway Trends, has anyone come across driving on the right side of the road on the Ghats in Madhya Pradesh. God, its scary when you see a truck rolling down right in front of you just as you come out of a blind curve. Not to talk about the S***s he gets when he sees you because he expects you to be on the other side of the road. I have seen this happen in the Nagpur-Bhopal section just after Hoshangabad. Also on the Indore-Aurangabad sector.

So long....

johy · 23rd June 2006, 16:09

The right indicator is widely used in the hills here (as an "okay-please overtake-me signal"), as you drive up to Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and the like.

I think it makes sense on those curving roads where you are not likely to see the hand signal too well (with all those turns). Yes, and if you are one of the few that wants to overtake, there is really no right turn ahead (If you turn right, you either head down into the steep gorge or bang against the mountain side - depending on which way you are heading).

Of course, the same drivers wouldn't use the same signal when in the midst of thick town traffic.

The Matrix · 23rd June 2006, 16:29

It is very misleading indeed..experienced iy while i was heading back frm yercaud...

i guess hand signal works best in such cases..wot say?

Insane Devil · 23rd June 2006, 16:43

this is the most common way for singnalling overtakers to overtake , and not the Truck drivers, now even UNEDUCATED! IGNORANT! GOOD FOR NOTHING, Dharti be bhoj , normal car drivers are also doing it at times on highways!!!

the credit for this goes to our Driving Licensing Department, where they dont actually see how well educated the person is....
now let me clear this before someone raises an objection... Educated here means being educated in traffic rules and regulations! just knowing to drive is not enough to be a driver. u have to know the theory and practical.

when such happens, and i am overtaking, i see to it that the horn is pressed down for full blast, so that even if that driver in front might have given the indicator for turning RIGHT, he wud know someones behind. coz the side adn rear view mirrors are hardly used in india!

In Australia, my friend failed a driving test on the first shot coz before moving the car ahead after starting the engine, he did not check if his 3 mirrors were properly positioned or not!!! and hence one of the safest countries in the world... lucky them!

arbormentis · 23rd June 2006, 16:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by sumirish

Here is a one more example of highway 'manners'. I am driving towards Banglore on the Hosur Road. This is a 4 lane highway separated by a wide landscaped median so there is no chance of hitting anyone coming from the opposite direction. I am doing about 100 and I can see a sumo taxi in front , going in the same direction, doing the same speed and the sumo is in the middle of the road. I honk and this moron pulls to the extreme right of the road and turns on his left indicator asking me to overtake him from the left. Yes, we have to use discretion and judgement but this business of using the wrong signals ( but the correct signal as far as the obliging taxi driver is concerned!) is idiotic and dangerous.

similar thing happened to me while coming back from ooty on the way to mysore....i would be pushing 100+ and honking this Qualis full of junta to give me way and all of a sudden this guy pulls to far right blinking left indicator.....i think i stood on my brakes with all my 80kg :( and on catching this bugger later by his neck , i realise he was jus giving me way to overtake him............. i was lucky it was an empty stretch which infact was the reason i tried to be schumacher ..
never realised although have been riding on the higways for the last year and half......
just make sure ur stars are smiling when overtaking these morons.

supremeBaleno · 23rd June 2006, 17:56

This sure is a confusing way of signalling on the highways. Since it is almost an unwritten rule, the only way out would be to be careful while overtaking - confirm that the guy in front does not intend to turn right using a mixture of logic and instince, honk wildly, bllink your lights and move on. Or maybe come up with a signal that differs from the presently available ones and indicates one's intention to yield and let the guy behind overtake.

But then we have more baffling signalling issues to deal with in the cities itself, where we drive most and on a daily basis. In Chennai, people seem to have an aversion to indicators - more common with autos, but also seen widely with bikes and cars. Maybe they are worried about the wear and tear of the indicator stalks/buttons and bulbs.

You are cruising along on a clear road, with an auto parked on the side of the road. When you are close, all of a sudden, he does a full right turn in front of you, without any signalling. You stand on the brakes and manage to avoid hitting him. And all he does is stare back at you as if you were at fault.

Also, how to gauge the intention of some autos that at a junction, have the left indicator blinking, the right hand extended out and then decide to go straight ?

Technocrat · 23rd June 2006, 18:04

I have driving\travelling on Indian highways for past 10-15 years. And although its not mentioned in any rule book, giving right turn sigmal is the most common practise to give way when a vehicle from behind either honks or flashes high Beam for passing.

When I am on such a highway whihc is two lane & if someone flashes the light for overtaking I turn on my right indicater for a short period & then turn off & it seems to have worked so far though i dont need to do it on roads like express way where there is ample space for a vehicle to pass by from either side & even if am on right most lane I just need to shift to the left lane to allow him to pass me without giving any indicator.

manson · 23rd June 2006, 18:25

well i missed being hit by a st bus, as i like any other city folk put on my right indicator to overtake the truck ahead of me. the st bus driver behind me interpreted this as an overtake me signal. have been careful after this first drive on the highway for me.

manson.

burjiis · 23rd June 2006, 18:28

Quote:

Insane Devil:
In Australia, my friend failed a driving test on the first shot coz before moving the car ahead after starting the engine, he did not check if his 3 mirrors were properly positioned or not!!! and hence one of the safest countries in the world... lucky them!

My friend in Mumbai was not given a license due to the same reason. I was impresses because I was sitting with him waiting for my turn to give the test. During my test I was asked about the function of the left right indicator. I told him that it was used as a signal to warn the traffic that you are going to take a turn. On that he corrected me and said, 'You use it only if you have the AC, otherwise you use your hand"....Interesting!!!

Burjis

khanak · 23rd June 2006, 21:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by varunroy

Also seen on Public Carriers
" Hum do Hamare do" seen some years back has become "WE TWO OURS ONE ". I wonder when it would read "WE TWO OURS NONE " or
" YOU ONE I ONE OURS NONE" . Boy, times are changing fast.

In the 70's when the country was in a State of Emergency, it was compulsory to write " NATION IS ON THE MOVE " and besides that youcould read " Speed 40 KM per hour ".

Do we have a thread on these writings. It would make great fun reading about them from all the different places of India. One can also imagine an old piece of footwear hanging in the front just below the Radiator.

On highway Trends, has anyone come across driving on the right side of the road on the Ghats in Madhya Pradesh. God, its scary when you see a truck rolling down right in front of you just as you come out of a blind curve. Not to talk about the S***s he gets when he sees you because he expects you to be on the other side of the road. I have seen this happen in the Nagpur-Bhopal section just after Hoshangabad. Also on the Indore-Aurangabad sector.

So long....

Iv seen "jab ghar mein dewar ho javaan toh bhabi pareshaan" behind a truck from MP

sumitkalindi · 24th June 2006, 11:19

Originally Posted by vivaid

The correct explaination of the rules by vivaid. Guys please remember here in this country, we still travell at a avg speed of 40 kmph. I don't know who had concieved this idea of right indicator, but all over Indian highways this rule works.

About the hand signal, if you all notice you will observe, 90 out of 100 cars donot have any indicators. as they are never maintained, so better also use hand signall with indicators, as most of the drivers will notice only your window and completely ignore your indicators.

21st June 2006, 23:23	#46
autozealot BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Mumbai Posts: 204 Thanked: 12 Times	Yes, this practice of switching on the RHS indicator is widely practiced (mostly by older truck/ bus drivers) as a signal allowing to be overtake from the right. But quite a few modern-day drivers of heavy vehicles are not doing so. Has anybody noticed this on the ghats or may be roads with lots of curves & bends, that the vehicle in front will just give a short (about 2 blinks) turn indicator which gives a fair idea to the person following him as to how the road will turn. Mostly happens when a taller vehicle is moving ahead of shorter one. I think this is meaningful as it cautions the driver of the car moving behind with regard to the direction in which he should be ready to turn. Any comments!!! az
	() Thanks

22nd June 2006, 00:08	#48
Sankar Senior - BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Location Posts: 5,766 Thanked: 9,054 Times	Even i did not come across such a rule/info while i took my licence. The right indicator means only one thing "im takin a right turn/i'm changin lane to the right". The use of right indicator to give permission to overtake is misleading. Think you're about to take a right turn and you put on the indicator and the chap following you misinterprets the signal...scary ain't it. So don't use the right indicator signal. It is wrong. The left indicator can be used to tell the driver that he can overtake, that seems sensible and not that dangerous. I use this signal and slightly pull to the left side of the road when i give the ok for the guy follwing to overtake, works fine.. And while reading the UK highway code i didn't come across any form of signalling that is to be used when somebody is trying to overtake you or when you want to give the ok for overtaking. All the responsibility of the manoeuvre lies with the vehicle doing the overtaking. Flashing the signal in UK means "i yield", exactly opposite to what we are used to here.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 16:09	#51
johy BHPian Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Siliguri Posts: 972 Thanked: 622 Times View My Garage	The right indicator is widely used in the hills here (as an "okay-please overtake-me signal"), as you drive up to Kalimpong, Darjeeling, and the like. I think it makes sense on those curving roads where you are not likely to see the hand signal too well (with all those turns). Yes, and if you are one of the few that wants to overtake, there is really no right turn ahead (If you turn right, you either head down into the steep gorge or bang against the mountain side - depending on which way you are heading). Of course, the same drivers wouldn't use the same signal when in the midst of thick town traffic. Last edited by johy : 23rd June 2006 at 16:10.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 16:29	#52
The Matrix BHPian Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Bangalore Posts: 112 Thanked: 2 Times	It is very misleading indeed..experienced iy while i was heading back frm yercaud... i guess hand signal works best in such cases..wot say?
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 16:43	#53
Insane Devil BHPian Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hyderabad Posts: 987 Thanked: 173 Times View My Garage	this is the most common way for singnalling overtakers to overtake , and not the Truck drivers, now even UNEDUCATED! IGNORANT! GOOD FOR NOTHING, Dharti be bhoj , normal car drivers are also doing it at times on highways!!! the credit for this goes to our Driving Licensing Department, where they dont actually see how well educated the person is.... now let me clear this before someone raises an objection... Educated here means being educated in traffic rules and regulations! just knowing to drive is not enough to be a driver. u have to know the theory and practical. when such happens, and i am overtaking, i see to it that the horn is pressed down for full blast, so that even if that driver in front might have given the indicator for turning RIGHT, he wud know someones behind. coz the side adn rear view mirrors are hardly used in india! In Australia, my friend failed a driving test on the first shot coz before moving the car ahead after starting the engine, he did not check if his 3 mirrors were properly positioned or not!!! and hence one of the safest countries in the world... lucky them!
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 17:56	#55
supremeBaleno Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Chennai / Kochi Posts: 5,546 Thanked: 2,698 Times View My Garage	This sure is a confusing way of signalling on the highways. Since it is almost an unwritten rule, the only way out would be to be careful while overtaking - confirm that the guy in front does not intend to turn right using a mixture of logic and instince, honk wildly, bllink your lights and move on. Or maybe come up with a signal that differs from the presently available ones and indicates one's intention to yield and let the guy behind overtake. But then we have more baffling signalling issues to deal with in the cities itself, where we drive most and on a daily basis. In Chennai, people seem to have an aversion to indicators - more common with autos, but also seen widely with bikes and cars. Maybe they are worried about the wear and tear of the indicator stalks/buttons and bulbs. You are cruising along on a clear road, with an auto parked on the side of the road. When you are close, all of a sudden, he does a full right turn in front of you, without any signalling. You stand on the brakes and manage to avoid hitting him. And all he does is stare back at you as if you were at fault. Also, how to gauge the intention of some autos that at a junction, have the left indicator blinking, the right hand extended out and then decide to go straight ?
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 18:04	#56
Technocrat Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: GTA Posts: 14,813 Thanked: 2,700 Times	I have driving\travelling on Indian highways for past 10-15 years. And although its not mentioned in any rule book, giving right turn sigmal is the most common practise to give way when a vehicle from behind either honks or flashes high Beam for passing. When I am on such a highway whihc is two lane & if someone flashes the light for overtaking I turn on my right indicater for a short period & then turn off & it seems to have worked so far though i dont need to do it on roads like express way where there is ample space for a vehicle to pass by from either side & even if am on right most lane I just need to shift to the left lane to allow him to pass me without giving any indicator.
	() Thanks

23rd June 2006, 18:25	#57
manson Team-BHP Support Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Bombay Posts: 3,934 Thanked: 4,169 Times View My Garage	well i missed being hit by a st bus, as i like any other city folk put on my right indicator to overtake the truck ahead of me. the st bus driver behind me interpreted this as an overtake me signal. have been careful after this first drive on the highway for me. manson.
	() Thanks

24th June 2006, 11:19	#60
sumitkalindi BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Kolkata Posts: 376 Thanked: 17 Times View My Garage	Originally Posted by vivaid The correct explaination of the rules by vivaid. Guys please remember here in this country, we still travell at a avg speed of 40 kmph. I don't know who had concieved this idea of right indicator, but all over Indian highways this rule works. About the hand signal, if you all notice you will observe, 90 out of 100 cars donot have any indicators. as they are never maintained, so better also use hand signall with indicators, as most of the drivers will notice only your window and completely ignore your indicators.
	() Thanks