this post was submitted on 29 Nov 2024
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@Joshi
(In case it isn't obvious, the following applies to Australia, where we drive on the left.)
I've done hundreds of thousands of clicks on country roads, and the right-turn signal has NEVER meant that it is 'safe to pass'. Never.
Most indicator stalks allow drivers to apply pressure and thus activate a turn signal's bulb, without "locking on" the relay.
This allows drivers to manually produce two or three pairs of LEFT flashes of the LEFT indicator. Like, L-L (1 sec pause) L-L (1 sec pause) L-L.
That has always been understood that the driver in front is saying, to the following driver, "I know you're there. I'm not turning off, but if you want to pass, it's clear ahead, and I'll be looking out for you."
The right-turn signal has ALWAYS ONLY meant, "Danger. Do NOT overtake me."
More than a few times, I've been in trucks with several tonnes of explosives and an impatient passenger coach, or cara-bloody-van, starts showing too much of their grill in the right hand mirror.
Giving them the L-L pattern has let them know it is clear to pass, but the right-turn signal coming on has ALWAYS meant, "Nup. No way. Don't be a bloody fool. Cool ya jets."
I have also driven extensively through mainly country WA and elsewhere and briefly worked as a truck driver in the NT, in my experience there is no consistency in understanding of these signals, as pointed out by the article, and I'm sceptical that it is consistently applied by truckies.
I do believe that there is an understanding among experienced truckies and some(a majority???) of other road users that there is a system but it is not universally understood by cara-fucking-van drivers, or apparently school bus drivers either.
As a car driver I have on at least 2 occasions had a truckie indicate it is safe for me to overtake(indicating L-L) in a situation that would have caused an accident. The only time it is safe to overtake is when you as the driver can be satisfied it is safe to do so. Relying on potentially ambiguous signals that are not universally understood is a literal accident waiting to happen.
I have been slightly obsessed with this since being quite outraged at a clear signal to pass being so dangerous and I've raised it with several truckies over the years, I think a small majority of truckies assume it's universally understood but a large minority never indicate to pass as it is dangerous/raises liability concerns. A clearly non random sample and I may have been asking leading questions...
You make a good point that for the truckies safety there is a need to indicate that it is unsafe but if people are misunderstanding this then I don't know what the solution is.
-- several edits for clarity --
I have done only one drive (or two...there and back) on roads that both had truckies and were single lane. Brissy to St George. West of Dalby I saw truckies indicating right to communicate that it's safe to pass constantly. I had heard about it before and explained it to my co-driver because he was unfamiliar, but this was the first time I experienced it. And my experience was very strongly that yes, it is indeed a real thing.
I have never heard about the left blinker being used in the same way as you describe.
@Zagorath
Generally, truckies just talk to each other on UHF40 (or 29) to arrange safe overtaking.
But a turn signal has always been a warning signal. It points to where one should never be.
It's not uncommon, though, for a truck that has *already* executed an overtaking manoeuvre to 'thank' the vehicle now behind them with an R-L-R-L combo of single flashes, *after* they're back on the correct side of the road.
Some truckies add a 'flourish' of one or two 'hazard light' flashes to the end of the sequence.
But, in all my years on the roads, I've only heard of recently deceased idiots who've tried overtaking a truck that has had its right-hand indicator on.
Things may have changed in the last decade, but FIIK why!
I've seen plenty of trucks do the single right hand indicator blink, usually b-doubles and larger.
I interpret that as a few things:
I was driving from Brisbane → Tasmania last week and a helpful truckie definitely used the right indicator to tell me it was safe to pass. Thanks, mate!
Of course you treat it as a suggestion, nose out and judge for yourself before trying to overtake.
If you cannot see around the vehicle in front of you to know if it's safe to pass, it isn't safe to pass.