Indicating with no one around

Hi all,
I have my test coming up in a few days and am fully prepared for it, it is my very first test after 10 or so months of lessons, anyway, one thing I have always wanted to know is will you get a minor for indicating when there is no need, I have looked for the answer but they all seem to be different.

What I mean is that obviously you will have to indicate when changing lanes and turning, whether there are cars near you or not, but I have personally been taught to only indicate when pulling off, pulling up to the side of the road and doing one of the parking maneuvers (Reverse and forward bay parking plus parallel park) if someone is around me, whether it be a person in a car or just walking around. I wouldn't ask this question however when watching people do there tests on YouTube, sometimes at the end the examiner will say something like "At this point, you unnecessarily indicated, when you were pulling away there was no-one around you." Personally I would prefer to indicate at all times as it is the safest option, but then again, it will probably be turned against you by the examiner i.e. if you indicate when there was no need to, this could be because you didn't properly check.

Reply 1

Guru Jason

If unsure and you think you should, do it. Even if you think there is no one around you may miss someone in blind spots or they may appear out of nowhere.

Reply 2

2007PSanHa

Not sure about in during a driving test but I indicate whether there are other cars around or not. It can be helpful to pedestrians etc in addition to cars. I also find that it helps me to remember the route that I have to take as I have to plan ahead.

Reply 3

Dez

You might be given a minor fault for indicated when pulling off if there is nobody around.

You will always be given a major fault for failing to indicate when you should have done so.

For the sake of your test, it's probably better to indicate. But at the same time you must always make it clear to the examiner you have checked all your mirrors and the appropriate blind spot(s).

Reply 4

DeeWave

I've never heard of anyone getting a driving fault for unnecessary indication, though perhaps a harsh examiner could justify it as a minor observation/awareness failure. It can always be justified as "what if someone is about to come into view".

Even so it's very rare to fail on accumulation of minor faults so probably better to play safe, indicate for everything as a matter of habit and then once you've passed develop your own driving style.

Reply 5

xEmilyxx

Original post by DeeWave

It is possible to get a mark for it as there is a box on the test sheet for whether the signal was necessary or not. It is pretty silly since in the real world people tend to always stick their indicators on even when it is not needed.

Reply 6

cbaforcba

Original post by xEmilyxx

Yeah. I ended up failing my test for stalling on a hill start but I pretty much indicated when pulling off, changing lanes and turning into junctions etc whether there were cars around or not and I didn't get any minors for doing it, but at the end of the day it is the safest option and also, my instructor said if there is no soul around no need to indicate and if you do that may be a minor however if you were to indicate and it wasn't really necessary however there were people around, it would be fine.

Indicating with no one around

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