Hand signals - are drivers blind or stupid?

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pennyturner

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I thought it was just the carriage that turned drivers into muppets, but I'm starting to reconsider.

Yesterday, coming back on the vintage tractor, 3 cars overtook me as I was clearly indicating right with my arm.

As it happens, I'm so used to them doing it when I'm driving the carriage, that I was looking out for them, but if I wasn't there'd have been one hell of a mess.

I wouldn't mind but I was positioned right over the white line in a 'I'm turning right you idiots' kind of a way, and dangling an enormous topper off the back which should have been enough to make them give me some space.
 
I am a mounted police officer in London and I ride with Hi Viz jacket, Hi Viz leg wraps etc. I regularly get driver's almost wiping me out. Think they are blind and stupid ;-)
 
Had the opposite the other day... muppet driving along with hand out of window to 'catch the breeze' had me not over taking as I thought they were turning right!

Doh!
 
PC Steele said:
I am a mounted police officer in London and I ride with Hi Viz jacket, Hi Viz leg wraps etc. I regularly get driver's almost wiping me out. Think they are blind and stupid ;-)
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This normally happens as we indicate to turn into our yard they think you are waving them past not indicating ,IDIOTS :rolleyes: .They reply with sorry didn't see u Im always in hi viz :confused:
 
So not one, or two, but three drivers thought it was suitable to overtake a tractor, even though the tractor was about to make a right turn? *sigh*
Perhaps it has to do with stress, too many seems to be too focused on getting themselves from point A to point B as fast as possible.

Or maybe it is related to that I've heard some say that the car is now our second living room. Some cars have e.g. a big audio system, Bluetooth connection, massage chair, passengers can watch films in the back seat and air conditioning system with four zones. Not only does it seems like as if other things have become more important, than the actual driving inside our cars, the roads now also can have barriers that prevent collisions, and some big roads have those special white lines that is supposed to wake up drivers that is about to/have fallen asleep etc. So some drivers seems to have forgotten, that unlike their own living room, they're sharing the roads with other road users.

One or two years ago, as I recall it, there was a female driver in Sweden that drove into a timber truck ahead of her on the road, because whilst driving, she thought she would also be able to breastfeed her baby! :eek:
a050.gif
Both she, the baby, and her other one or two children that was also in the car, was reasonably okay, and the truck and its driver definitely came out of the crash better than her car.

I luckily enough, haven't found any photos of such drivers, but here are some other examples:
Driving, eating and using the phone
driving-talking-eating.jpg


Driving, putting on lipstick and using the phone
distraction.jpg


Driving, reading newspaper and using the phone
IMG_0196.JPG


Then we have persons like this multitasking male driver...
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pennyturner said:
I thought it was just the carriage that turned drivers into muppets, but I'm starting to reconsider.

Yesterday, coming back on the vintage tractor, 3 cars overtook me as I was clearly indicating right with my arm.

As it happens, I'm so used to them doing it when I'm driving the carriage, that I was looking out for them, but if I wasn't there'd have been one hell of a mess.

I wouldn't mind but I was positioned right over the white line in a 'I'm turning right you idiots' kind of a way, and dangling an enormous topper off the back which should have been enough to make them give me some space.
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I get this too.

I put my arm out and about to cross when they try overtake.


I scream at them " what do you think I am F ing doing????? Airing my armpits??????"
 
A few years back I accidentally (ie there was no publicity to tell me it was happening) met a vintage car rally coming down our narrow lane as I was riding up. My normally 100% in traffic mare had had enough by the time the fiftieth one came past, too fast with an engine fit to wake the dead so I gave the signal for them to stop ( or at least slow down!). They all merrily waved at me! So did the next lot and the next and the next. In the end I was shouting, 'This sign means STOP. I am not waving.' Clueless. I found out who the organisers were and sent them a stern email which they acknowledged and promised to reply fully to at a later date but they never did. Thankfully they seem to have changed the route since then. I was never so happy to get home.
 
My friends and I have this debate pretty every time we ride. Top topics for hacking conversation are as follows:
1) Do they not see or not understand my hand signals?
2) Do they not realise or no care what could happen when they overtake at 50mph with about 20cm clearance?
3) Can they not see the two 600kg horses in hi viz, or do they just not care?
4) If police/ambulance with blues & twos can slow down for a couple of seconds, where are the other drivers going that is more important?

And so on.... Of course some are fine, and some try far too hard and pull over with engine off or take about a year to come past, by which time horses are fidgety, but the vast majority round us only score <5/10 on the overtaking sensibly system :rolleyes:
 
I confess I regretted not having the carriage whip to hand. I find being overtaken in a carriage whilst signalling right often startles me into a reflexive whip-hand movement, which results in the offending car receiving the lash across the windscreen.

;o)
 
the majority dont have a clue. one of the horses at my yard was being tried out and i accompanied them on a walk. i signalled to a driver to slow down as the rider was quite nervous but instead they kept coming at speed and spooked the horse. absolute idiots sometimes.
 
Blind, stupid, impatient.... all of the above unfortunately. I was in my car, waiting to turn right into the drive the other day as there was oncoming traffic, car came belting up behind me and the next thing I knew he was driving past me at about 30mph ON THE PAVEMENT!!! Mind boggling.
 
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