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-   -   A strange local traffic signal...(indicator for overtaking) (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/street-experiences/80014-strange-local-traffic-signal-indicator-overtaking-8.html)

The right turn indicator is a yield signal in Sikkim. I was surprised at first but people there follow it to the t and it works very well, especially in mountainous areas.

It will not work very well, wherever it is - hills or plains. You do not overtake unless you can see ahead and you are sure the road is clear. Not when the person indicates with a right indicator that you can go ahead. You follow the person in front however slow he is going. Right indicator is only for turning right

In Calcutta it is usual for the person being overtaken to pull to the extreme right and flash his left indicator as a sign for the vehicle following to overtake from the left. Most vehicles overtake from the left in the city and it is extremely irritating, confusing and dangerous to find a driver who follows regular traffic rules. I suggest that the best policy is to do in Rome as Romans do. Safe for all involved.

Well - here is a solution. Honk first and when the guy is showing his right hand, then, try to see if there is something ahead of him which he himself might try to overtake - If not, it means he is yielding and not intending to overtake / turn.

Cheers,

What if the guy in front is a huge truck ferrying a loco engine? One wouldn't be able to see anything in front.

In that case, you are absolutely safe to overtake him because he ain't fast enuf with a loco on top.

I'm not worried of him. I wouldn't be able to see any signal. He'd also signal me to overtake based on what's coming on the opposite side. This happened to me in a stretch between chitradurga and ranebennur. The loco was so huge that it blocked 90% of the road in front. Every time I tried over taking, there would be some vehicle in opposite side.

Happened to me a lot of times. But these trucks were the ones carrying the blades for the wind power generators.

Instead of increasing my pressure and hazarding my life, I prefer to follow as long as I dont see for atleast half a kilometer further up and leaving a distance of atleast 50 feet between me and the truck infront. Never waited for more then 2 minutes.

This is on NH4.

My 2 cents:

I have observed the practice of blinking right turn indicator as a yield signal for an overtaking vehicle for as long as I can remember my driving trips (close to 12 years). Earlier I was practising it too. It has become sort of unwritten rule, but you do have to interpret it within the context.

Also before overtaking, if the road ahead is not clear or cannot be clearly seen (for e.g. a slow-moving vehicle/bike in front of the truck, a hairpin or other blind turns) I honk/blink and wait for the driver ahead to signal me if it's safe to overtake or not. And many times truck drivers have either warned me to back off or signalled me to hurry up ahead (and given me safe passage). I never press ahead with an overtake if the driver indicates a negative.

And yes, I do the same if someone behind me wants to overtake me. :)

I have seen this whenever I drive on the highways..The person in front generally blinks the right indicator 2-3 times to let you know that its safe to overtake. On the other hand, I have also seen truckers giving a left signal to let you know that its not safe to overtake. Helps especially on hilly roads.

But again, you don't know if you can trust the truckers. :)

I hate this confusion about overtaking signals.
What i feel better
1) Use left indicator to signal the vehicle behind you that he/she can overtake from right. I also try to move slightly to the left making my intentions clear. Aint that more blatant than all other cryptic ways. I leave the right indicator on warning the one behind not to overtake, if i see a potential danger. Even if the driver mistakes it of me turning right, i may be able to avoid emergencies for all the parties. This has worked out 95% of times for me when i let vehicles pass. By following this, even the vehicle coming opposite will take a note of caution and can also see the right edge of the vehicle (for lorries).

2) I heard about blinking the indicator once as a signal. In that case, its still intuitive that a single right blink means you can overtake from left.


My night drives are usually around 750 kms bangalore->kerala. Many a time i have seen opposite modes of signaling. I had literally tried to overtake a right turning cab once because of this confusion.

So now my stance is, if i need to overtake any vehicle, wait till you get the best clarity of the front driver's intentions. Even if it take 5-8 seconds or slow down a bit, its better to be late than never.

There is always the confusion prevails among drivers which signal is right to give the vehicle behind to overtake.Some gives left some gives right. Is there any unifirm signal code by RTO. I will check it with the RTO signal codes and post again.

Our outdated IMV act does not state anything about the type of signals, except for saying you should wait for the vehicle in front to indicate that you can overtake. And the only signals recognised specifically there are the ones using hand

You are perfectly all right mentioning of outdated IMVA.At the age of closed window driving with Ac showing hand are meaning less.Now we should find which is more appropriate giving right hand flash indicator(which may mis guide to the follower that we are turning right. The second of
option is of left signal flash which may not confuse and he wil be confident of thinking that we are going to turn left or siding to left and can pass us.

Hi everybody
it is totally misleading if you are given the right flash indicator for you to overtake.
If it is daytime and you are able to see beyond the truck then it is ok but when it night and you are not able to see beyond your hadlamps beams then every possibility of your reading being wrong.
Better option IMHO would be to use the left hand indicator.
regds