Have You Ever Noticed ??

Bluerauder

Bluerauder

CAMaraudin' in Virginia
.... that people who are thinking about a lane change will "unintentionally" telegraph their impending move about 5-10 seconds before putting on their turn signal or start to change lanes.

Maybe it is just me. However, I notice that many/most people who are thinking about changing lanes will "unconsciously" drift toward the lane that they want to be in. Typically, they will come over and touch the lane markings then return to the center of their lane. After a short delay of maybe 5-10 seconds (maybe a little less), they will turn on their signal (or sometimes not) and start to move into the lane. Its uncanny how frequently this happens.

I have noticed this behavior so frequently that I use it as a prediction tool on what some driver's are going to do before they have even settled on what they want to do. It is a handy bit of knowledge; because once the process has started, the driver WILL come over into your lane whether you are there or not.

Anybody else notice this trend??
 
I see it occasionally down here in SA. More frequently people don't signal at all though, they just drive wherever they please.

More and more every day I'm becoming a proponent of a tiered licensing system...
 
I've noticed this too. Very interesting psychology. I use it to either speed up or not, full well knowing what is going to happen.
 
I see it all the time and in Chicago the lane change is done without the signal anyways. Unfortunately when you do use your signal here the motorist behind will speed up on purpose. Sadly it's common procedure used!
 
jstevens said:
I've noticed this too. Very interesting psychology. I use it to either speed up or not, full well knowing what is going to happen.
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I am not sure what causes this. Maybe the simple act of glancing into the sideview mirror causes many people to go in the direction that they are looking. :dunno:

I use it similar to what you have stated above, too. Knowing what is going to happen a second or two before it happens gives just enough advance warning and reaction time to avoid a potential problem. Whether they signal or not is immaterial since you have already figured out their intention.

Some similar type mechanism, I suspect, is responsible for roadside accidents on the highways and interstates. Vehicles broken down on the side of the road or police stops on the shoulder are frequently rear-ended by such drivers. Those drivers will focus on the cars on the side of the road and unconsciously drift in that direction ..... sometimes with disasterous effects.
 
I actually do this often and just like you said it kind of unconsciously. I catch myself every time and tell myself that I need to stop doing it but I still do! I get annoyed at myself.
 
Pops said:
Charlie I see a lot of cars that swing way left and then turn right! What are blinkers?
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My father used to call these the "Queen Mary" drivers. These are the people who think they are piloting an 800 foot long ship or an 18-wheeler. They need to swing wide to get their fat azz end around the turn. DFs. ;)
 
I see it ALL the time here in Houston. It's funny to see someone do that same thing for 30 or more seconds all the while not having the blinker on. I am sitting there making room for them expecting them to come over. Of course they dart over at the last second before their exit. I just sit there and shake my head.
 
Driving is like a game of checkers u must be on defense and offense. And know what people will do befor they doit at all times.
 
Yep, I notice it all the time. I always say to passengers in my car "Red Rover, Red Rover, let the (insert color of car or type of car) come over" Then they turn thier turn signal on, or not, and change lanes. Its that much of a gap.
 
I have noticed this tendency for a while now...and use it to predict drivers intentions quite sucessfully...

It is common knowledge in tactical driving that the mind will tend to steer the car in the direction you are looking....

That is why...The rule is to look where you want the car to go...and NOT at what you are tryin to avoid...This explains why people rear end cars, they are trying to avoid...Because they are focused on the car....

Try and ask yourself...when was the last time you steered the car in a direction, you were NOT looking....Probably never...Hence, the rule "Do not look at the object you are trying to avoid while driving...but rather, in the direction you want the car to go"

Aloha
 
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Can't say that I've ever seen that, all I see is people not using their turn signals. I always try to let someone over or in if they have their signal on. If they just get to the spot, do a quick signal and try to squeeze they will get denied.
 
BAN low Performance drivers not HI-Performance cars [old bumper sticker ]
Well as you know millions of dollars have been spent on safety equipment through the years but the problem is poorley trained operators. Maybe we need to take lessons from German driver training . [just commenting ]
 
Yep,
I see that all the time Charlie.

Another indicator is that they let off the gas or even worse...they begin to brake just before changing lanes!!

WTF!?

On the freeway, it's always 'fun' to see some knucklehead start to brake while changing lanes at 65 mph.....:shake:
 
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MrBluGruv said:
I see it occasionally down here in SA. More frequently people don't signal at all though, they just drive wherever they please.

More and more every day I'm becoming a proponent of a tiered licensing system...
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lol same here near san fran, barely anyone bothers to signal:beatnik:
 
I don't get what's so hard about it either, as a driver it should become a habit as ingrained as buckling your seatbelt before you begin to drive. Of course, not every does that either, soooo.......
 
Joe Walsh said:
Another indicator is that they let off the gas or even worse...they begin to brake just before changing lanes!!

WTF!?
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Yes, I see ^^^^^ that all the time. Very annoying. They do it even when the road ahead is clear for miles and there is nobody in the other lane. Must be written in the driver's manual somewhere that you must brake and slow 5-10 miles per hour to make a safe lane change. What azzhats !!! :rolleyes:

MrBluGruv said:
... as a driver it should become a habit as ingrained as buckling your seatbelt before you begin to drive. Of course, not every does that either, soooo.......
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After nearly 40 years of mandatory seatbelt use ... I find it absolutely amazing the some people are still not buckling up before they pull out of the driveway. Apparently, you just can't add enough technology and safety features for these people. Before airbags, side curtains, crumple zones, and padded dashboards, many of these rocket scientists would have removed themselves from the gene pool long ago. Now they stick around to pass on their bad habits to their kids. :P
 
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