[Closed] Is just me... Car indicators...

Just be grateful that they use them!

No, you're right; they're often treated as an afterthought these days. Rear too! Audis seem to have tiny winkers that are swamped by the brake lights. Wonder why?

I find those types of indicator harder to pick out, especially at roundabouts.

Be grateful they use them ! It would be nice if people could remember they are to indicate intentions not actions and also that the mere fact that you have a flashing light on the side of your car does not make it safe to change lane.
Mirror signal manouvere has now changed to manouvere signal (optional) mouth abuse at your victim.

Glad it's not just me! Surprised in this day & age manufacturers have overlooked this in the drive for safety.

Audi+ Vw indicators
And at the other end of the spectrum (see what I did there) Merc Brake lights. Why so bright? Sat stationary behind one the other day in the rain. One take your foot off the brake and use your hand brake. Two take your foot off the brake.........

They are in the fogs on my disAstra, not had it long and have had plenty of people pull out as I'm signaling to turn right on roundabouts. Never use the fog lights but I wonder if the bright light from them would make it even harder to see. Not well thought out being so low.

I agree that some indicators are poor these days, and difficult to see.

definitely a lot worse with the 'clear lens with a yellow bulb' that a lot of cars seem to have now

surprised thats even allowed to be honest, but then I'm amazed that car companies have been allowed to design cars that meet type approval where the bulbs cant be replaced without tools by the roadside 😯

I've thought this too. I did wonder if it was related to my colour blindness as others I ride with don't always have a problem

definitely a lot worse with the 'clear lens with a yellow bulb' that a lot of cars seem to have now

surprised thats even allowed to be honest, but then I'm amazed that car companies have been allowed to design cars that meet type approval where the bulbs cant be replaced without tools by the roadside

I noticed this some time ago. Rear ones on the middle of the brake lights are difficult to see and with the new ultra-bright headlights you don't stand a chance!! Mind you, as others have said, you are lucky people are using them. Round here the use of indicators seems to be entirely optional. I did wonder if they were now supplied as an optional extra in new cars and people weren't bothering to buy them!

Yes, the kind that are integral with brake lights are borderline dangerous. An orange light going on and off is easy to spot, a red light that goes slightly orange is much harder.

i agree... i think it was a brand new Pug 307? i saw last night, from behind the indicator was hardly visible.

as said above, these days using indicators is a dying art...

the new citreon c4 winds me up with the massive daytime running lights.

I think these new style xenon lamps have a blinding effect on approaching drivers especially when tired at the end of a day. (coupled with plonkers who drive around with their bloody fog lights on)
Dark evenings, tea time tired drivers, xenon lamps, fake bluish xenon lamps, fog lamps, lamps out of alignment....it's a jungle sometimes

I think these new style xenon lamps have a blinding effect on approaching drivers especially when tired at the end of a day.

couldnt agree more, i hate the fekin blinding b*stard things!!

Agree it's a problem. Mercedes of a few years old seem to be the worst to me- part of a massive light cluster but totally invisible when the headlights are on.

Xenon headlamps - its not just me then!
Riding home tonight & was thinking once again that car headlamps are now blinding me all the time. I used to think it was my eyes at fault.
Now I cant even make out the car behind the lights they are that bright.

Yep, I agree. Indicator inboard of the headlight makes it harder to see. But as said above, most people don't know how to use them anyway. How can the car in front of me, when we both complete the right turn at the round about, leave that roundabout with the opposite indicator to the one I'm using?

Aye, some awful designs out there. Also, the amount of cars I see on my commute with a brake light out is incredible, but even more noticeable is that they are generally French.

Absolutely agree - indeed much of today's run commute to work and cycle commute home involved a rant in my head about how hard it was to spot indicators. Some horrible, barely visible designs.

Audis seem to have tiny winkers

Nothing new for their drivers

so no-one has noticed the daylight running lights on VAG cars flashing alternatly with the indicator to enhance the brightness?

BMWs don't have any indicators at all. ....

When the daytime LEDs fade to let you see the indicators, that's using software to fix a hardware fault.

...and am I the only one who finds green traffic lights incredibly bright?
Red I can understand, but the green is so bright it masks what's beyond it.

Indicators on the wing mirror instead of the side repeater on the wing

When two lanes come together and you have a car alongside but slightly in front, you can see when (if) they bang on an indicator before making that "i'll just push in here because you'll obviously slow down" manoeuvre

Mercs have that particular issue

Clearly the solution is traffic light indicators 😛

But yes, I have a hard job telling if someone is indicating and my eyesight is fine. The comment about type approval is a valid one, it's all well and good being mandated by law to carry spare bulbs (as in France) but no use if you can't change the damn things!

& I spotted a new one tonight I'd not seen before, the BMW MINI, indicator in the middle of the brake light... car slows down then seemingly almost stops for no reason... Oh, you're turning off & indicating, shame I couldn't the indicator buried in with the brake light!

Wife and I were moaning about this the other day, was following one of those new Beetles where the rear light clusters are no longer round, then we followed it through a roundabout and both commented about the tiny rear indicators. Reckon they were maybe 5cm x 1cm, the same area in a circle would be much more visible. It then turned off and we followed a brand new VW Polo and that had tiny indicators below a huge light cluster as well.

Edit: And whilst we're on the subject, bring back Dim Dip headlights! These stupid little bulbs hidden at the back of a huge headlight are beyond rubbish, the only time they help visibility is when its so dark you should be using headlights anyway!

Glad its not just me. Number of times I've been waiting to pull out of a side road and not seen the indicators of cars turning in when they are swamped by the headlights.

Indicators on the [s]wing[/s] door mirror instead of the side repeater on the wing

EFA

I notice a lot of people don't even bother indicating these days. Is it uncool to use them?

Agreed. Headlights brighter, indicator lenses worse. Not good.

I got into trouble the other day. I looked at a potential left turner (64 plate Audi) who wasn't indicating, started to walk across the road and, yes, you've guessed it, he swung round the corner. When he wound his window down to shout abuse, I asked him if he'd deliberately bought the cheap model without indicators, and that seemed to light the blue touchpaper. I really thought I was going to be brawling in the middle of the street.

We can't all be paragons of Godlike driving but I try or be, and post this in the hope that people who don't indicate at roundabouts might read it.

Use your ****ing indicators at roundabouts you selfish, inconsiderate ****.

dpfr - Member
I got into trouble the other day. I looked at a potential left turner (64 plate Audi) who wasn't indicating, started to walk across the road and, yes, you've guessed it, he swung round the corner.......

The Highway code votes in your favour but might is of course right

170
Take extra care at junctions. You should

watch out for cyclists, motorcyclists, powered wheelchairs/mobility scooters and pedestrians as they are not always easy to see. Be aware that they may not have seen or heard you if you are approaching from behind
watch out for pedestrians crossing a road into which you are turning. If they have started to cross they have priority, so give way

I suspect that the headlight buried and brake light surrounded indicators are very visible at distance on motorways - thus making motorway driving on the safest type of roads even safer - as to the urban environment with Peds and Cyclists well they're not in cars and don't need keeping safe