As there’s no specific offence detailing the inappropriate use, or failing to use signals / indicators, then technically it’s legal to not indicate.
There was a survey conducted by AA Streetwatchers, at various locations within the UK who looked at the habits or some 40,000 drivers. Part of the survey covered indicating and results concluded that a third of all the drivers surveyed didn’t indicate before making a turn at junctions or roundabouts.
If you were to loosely throw that figure nationwide with 33.7 million vehicles licensed to for use in Great Britain, that’s around 11 million drivers who don’t bother indicating – or at least choose to do so in some form of irregular system.
If there’s no specific law that ensures drivers must indicate, then why bother at all?
Those that do indicate will usually do so for safety reasons – so that all road users including pedestrians know your intentions. Also reasons of courtesy – how many times have we unnecessarily stopped at a roundabout just because a driver couldn’t be bothered to signal?
This is where the offence of ‘Driving without due care and attention or without reasonable consideration for other road users’ covers many forms of bad driving. If a driver is too lazy to indicate and their lack of actions is a direct result of an accident, they may face a charge of careless driving.
Depending on the severity of the incident, careless drivers face a fine of up to £5,000, 3 to 9 penalty points on their licence and in more serious cases, a driving ban. To the other extent, it’s equally important to not unnecessarily use signals and to cancel them when they’re no longer needed.
The Highway Code
The Highway Code is generally advice and defines law by the use of the word ‘must’, compared to ‘should’ which is an advised method to follow.
- give clear signals in plenty of time, having checked it is not misleading to signal at that time
- use them to advise other road users before changing course or direction, stopping or moving off
- cancel them after use
- make sure your signals will not confuse others. If, for instance, you want to stop after a side road, do not signal until you are passing the road. If you signal earlier it may give the impression that you intend to turn into the road. Your brake lights will warn traffic behind you that you are slowing down
- use an arm signal to emphasise or reinforce your signal if necessary. Remember that signalling does not give you priority.
Related Information
Can a driver report another road user for not indicating
Hi Adrian,
If the driver is driving without due care and attention then yes it can be reported. Only really worth it if there’s proof such as dash-cam footage though.
If I as pedestrian waited at roundabout and filmed each car that doesn’t show indicators I’m pretty sure getting 50 wouldn’t be hard. Today coming with foot from work I had to predict will he turn or go past the exit so annoying and the bloody traffic was somewhat busy so yea…
Agreed. When I’m on my bicycle it’s equally a guessing game. You tend to notice drivers that don’t bother indicating when you’re more vulnerable.
I almost got knocked off my bicycle by a bus that didn’t indicate left before turning up the hill I was currently crossing to get to the cycle path.
I was knocked off my motorbike when a car pulled across me without indicating the traffic police deemed me 40% responsible because I should have thought there was a possibility he would turn even though driving close to the kerb at a constant 22mph it was a straight road so I proceeded to over take him leaving plenty of room but as I got level with the drivers door he looked at me and turned into me knocking me off my week old bike I sustained a broken collar bone big toe and coccyx and gravel rash there was witnesses to back me up that I wasn’t speeding and he never made any indication or was positioned in the road to turn but the traffic cop held me partially to blame so from then on I don’t use my indicators but finally get pulled by a copper who informed me the law has changed and you can get done for driving without due care and attention,which according to this forum is a complete lie but it seems the police can do and say what they like as the law is interpretted as they see fit!
some good sensible replies needed
I’ve just followed a police vehicle along my local High Street…we passed through 3 sets of traffic lights and 4 roundabouts…not only ce did the driver indicate to alert me or other road users of his intended direction…according to the information on here and the information I’ve received from my local police head quarters it is NOT a LEGAL requirement to indicate at any junction but it is SUGESTED that its good manners and courteous to do so….why then can it be deemed an offence of if even the police DON’T behave correctly by setting the example….sooo bloody annoyin
Yes, it is indeed very annoying. Don’t you just hate it when coming up to a roundabout, you stop for a car on your right, only for them to take their first exit anyway. It’s just lazy, inconsiderate driving. It causes accidents and due to unnecessarily stopping at roundabouts, it uses more fuel.
I had a car that wasin front of me a good way just pulled into the lefthand side of the road without indicating as I came up to it on my motorcycle after checking and indicating round the car as I was passing it when it just pulled out with no indication and knocked me off my bike I had to witnesses and the coppers sent me a letter saying that they were considering charging me for driving without due care and attention but I argued the case in court and won just shows that if you dont let the police scare you. You can win nust by telling the truth
Hello Geoff,
That was a good result from a very unfortunate incident.