Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers...............

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Wed 17 Oct 2012 14:31
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - nick62

.....insist on putting their hazard lights on when they are going to stop? Why can't they just use their L/H indictor like a "normal" driver?

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Wed 17 Oct 2012 14:34
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - thunderbird

.....insist on putting their hazard lights on when they are going to stop? Why can't they just use their L/H indictor like a "normal" driver?

Because they are going to stop rather than simply turning a corner or changing lane etc.

Suppose you could argue they should indicate left and stop then put the hazzards on but its obvious you know what they are doing thus why complain.

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Wed 17 Oct 2012 14:41
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - nick62

Because they are going to stop rather than simply turning a corner or changing lane etc.

Suppose you could argue they should indicate left and stop then put the hazzards on but its obvious you know what they are doing thus why complain

Perhaps I should have said when they are going to:

  • stop on the L/H side?
  • stop on the R/H side?
  • do a "U" turn?
  • any combination/permutation of the above?
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Wed 17 Oct 2012 15:11
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - coopshere

.....insist on putting their hazard lights on when they are going to stop? Why can't they just use their L/H indictor like a "normal" driver?

Because they are not normal drivers and are always a hazard??
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Wed 17 Oct 2012 15:38
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Dwight Van Driver

.....as a warning that they are about to disgorge passengers that may not look back to see if safe to open door?????

dvd

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Wed 17 Oct 2012 16:26
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - nick62

.....as a warning that they are about to disgorge passengers that may not look back to see if safe to open door?????

dvd

No, because they do it whether thay have passengers on board or not.

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Wed 17 Oct 2012 15:50
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - TeeCee

Particularly annoying when someone does this while pulling / having pulled over into a space between other parked vehicles. To anyone approaching it looks like the outside indicator is on (the inside one being obscured by the other parked vehicles) and that they are about to pull out.

That one lives somewhere in my "how to spot an idiot driver" list.

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Thu 18 Oct 2012 15:38
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Zuave

Thanks TeeCee.

I thought i was alone in this pet hate.

I would like to add 'parked facing oncoming traffic (in a layby or just off the road) at night and leaving lights on dipped beam'. Drop your lights to side lights, it's less frightening for oncoming traffic!

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Thu 18 Oct 2012 20:10
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Bobbin Threadbare

No I'm the club too; it does look like they're trying to pull out. Zuave, you've got a point about parking facing oncoming traffic too; someone did that to me this morning and nearly blinded me! Also he was parked in a cycle lane. Grr.

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Thu 18 Oct 2012 21:30
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - gordonbennet

Not just taxi bods sitting on the wrong side of the road, there's a clot of a newspaper wholesale van driver who parks in a village on busy A road between 5 and 6am every morning, headlights on and his side loading door is on the NS, so you can't see him faffing about in the road till its nearly too late, Darwins theory will apply one day i shouldn't wonder and his obituary will ironically be in the papers his replacement delivers, he actually creates his own danger by stopping beyond the shop half on the pavement half on road where there is a full layby type pull in exactly the same distance the other side of the shop where he would be fully off road and room for him too.

Some police drivers i've noticed favour this blinding the oncoming traffic whilst mincing about in the dark behind trick.

Most drivers seem to have a single light switch, off or dipped, side lights presumably not blinding enough....suppose some use the excuse of auto lights, some common sense might be applied.

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Fri 19 Oct 2012 21:38
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Sofa Spud

I can understand why taxi drivers sometimes put on their hazard lights if they have to stop in a slightly awkward place. What I can't understand is why they still persist in keeping their engines running even if they're stopped for 10 or 15 minutes.

On the subject of flashing lights, recovery vehicles obviously use their orange beacons while attending a breakdown or while towing a disabled vehicle. But what I can't understand is why some drivers of recovery transporters keep the flashing lights on when they're carrying the stricken car the back of the vehicle! It's just a lorry with a load - it doesn't need flashing lights switched on!

Edited by Sofa Spud on 19/10/2012 at 21:39

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Sat 20 Oct 2012 14:10
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Ben 10

I always thought that a recovery vehicle or any vehicle with orange hazards on the roof were to switch them off whilst driving. By law. Seems to have been forgotten long ago. They are hazard warning lights. When the vehicle is a hazard to oncoming or approaching vehicles. A vehicle being driven normally along a road is not a hazard. So TURN them OFF.

Another niggle is the towing breakdown vehicle that can't be bothered to hitch up the temporary rear lights on a board and just tow with the hazards flashing on the towed vehicle. Pure laziness. Can't tell when they are going to turn or brake. Relying on some piddley lights high up on the rear of the tow truck cab. Not good enough or legal.

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Sat 20 Oct 2012 15:24
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - bathtub tom

>>I always thought that a recovery vehicle or any vehicle with orange hazards on the roof were to switch them off whilst driving. By law. Seems to have been forgotten long ago.

When did you last read the highway code? Rule 116: www.gov.uk/general-rules-all-drivers-riders-103-to...6

You MUST NOT use hazard warning lights while driving or being towed unless you are on a motorway or unrestricted dual carriageway and you need to warn drivers behind you of a hazard or obstruction ahead.

I also believe slow moving vehicles have to display a flashing amber beacon under certain circumstances. I thinking tractors on NSL dual carriageways.

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Sat 20 Oct 2012 23:33
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Ben 10

<<When did you last read the highway code?>>

Well arn't I right about normal roads. Motorways and unrestricted roads have fast moving traffic that needs a warning. My local A,B and residential roads do not. Which refers to break down vehicles and dust carts in my book. If they keep up with traffic flow TURN them OFF. Simple. Milk floats and tractors I'll concede.

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Sat 20 Oct 2012 14:14
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Ben 10

<<Particularly annoying when someone does this while pulling / having pulled over into a space between other parked vehicles. To anyone approaching it looks like the outside indicator is on (the inside one being obscured by the other parked vehicles) and that they are about to pull out.>>

The answer to this is to have red hazard warning flashing lights like they do in the U.S. keeping the amber indicators for indicating turns. This would stop any ambiguity.

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Sat 20 Oct 2012 14:40
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - unthrottled

Or to simplify the lighting cluster, simply use a faster frequency for the hazard operation.. This already happens when one of your indicator bulbs stops working.

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Mon 22 Oct 2012 14:06
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - TeeCee

The answer to this is to have red hazard warning flashing lights like they do in the U.S. keeping the amber indicators for indicating turns. This would stop any ambiguity.

That would be because the US system is to have the indicator and stop light use the same lamp. A red one. The ambiguity is still there as a flashing red lamp means "indicator".

They're amber at the front too. They do not have seperate, red, hazards.

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Mon 22 Oct 2012 22:32
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Ben 10
TC,

I know how the system of rear lights work in the US. What I suggest is that the red lights on UK cars double as hazard lights but still retain amber lights for turning indicators only. That way a parked car would not confuse oncoming traffic. If an amber right indicator is showing then that vehicle has intentions of moving off, whereas as has been highlighted above, at present you don't know whether they are hazards or not. Flashing red lights that are used for hazard warning would not be confused. Do you not see my point?
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Sat 20 Oct 2012 15:30
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - bonzo dog
Why do taxi / mincab drivers....

insist on putting their hazard lights on when they are going to stop? Why can't they just use their L/H indictor like a "normal" driver?

Obvious!

Because their horn has worn out from using it every time they stop, so they have to resort to other (non-ambulant) methods of communication!

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Mon 22 Oct 2012 13:58
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - specialist

cos they're idiots

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Sat 3 Nov 2012 16:25
Any - Why do taxi / mincab drivers............... - Jon P

Specialist, some may be idiots but I often find them amusing and occasionally interesting.

The one constant factor is that I've never been driven by a minicab driver who I would let even PARK my own car.

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