Courtesy gestures on the road

imranpanji said:
If you overtake someone who has given way, or helped you with overtaking signals , you flick your hazards as a thank you. He will acknowledge your thank you with a "no worries" flick of his headlights

If you give way or help someone behind you with getting ahead (left indicator for "it's clear", right indicator for "don't overtake, traffic ahead"), then they should thank you using hazards, and you acknowledge with a flick of headlights.

If the road is particularly dark and small, you indicate right when you approach a vehicle heading the other way. It helps to show where the edge of your vehicle is, as headlights can be deceiving where indicators are typically mounted on the side.

Common courtesy and logic for long distance driving where speeds are high, and drivers typically tired.
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All makes perfect sense.

The problem is who else knows all of this?

I was sort of aware of the use of flickers for save to pass/don't pass.
 
daniellgr said:
All makes perfect sense.

The problem is who else knows all of this?

I was sort of aware of the use of flickers for save to pass/don't pass.
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All the truck drivers, and you pick it up after a few long ass trips.

Have driven maybe 4 times from Jo'burg to Malawi, and a few times long distance in SA. The rules seem to be the same.

The thing people need to realise is we are all on the same road, and a mistake by someone else can affect you...so helping each other is essential
 
Nerfherder said:
The correct usage of the hazards signal is for when there is a hazard. It's to warn other road users of potential hazards.
Using this signal to say thanks is both confusing and incorrect.


The same with the idiots who use hi beams to say thanks
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You sir, are something else...
 
Sinbad said:
I'm with you on this.
I will always thank someone who makes way for me, as they have no obligation to do so. And I will always flick the headlights to acknowledge others who thank me.
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I'm with both of you. Sometimes I also raise my hand.
 
imranpanji said:
All the truck drivers, and you pick it up after a few long ass trips.

Have driven maybe 4 times from Jo'burg to Malawi, and a few times long distance in SA. The rules seem to be the same.

The thing people need to realise is we are all on the same road, and a mistake by someone else can affect you...so helping each other is essential
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Most drivers in countries north of our borders do this, and it's very helpful. Okes here are too aggressive and selfish to help.
 
imranpanji said:
All the truck drivers, and you pick it up after a few long ass trips.

Have driven maybe 4 times from Jo'burg to Malawi, and a few times long distance in SA. The rules seem to be the same.

The thing people need to realise is we are all on the same road, and a mistake by someone else can affect you...so helping each other is essential
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In my experience they always use the right indicator to say I can overtake.
 
Dan C said:
In my experience they always use the right indicator to say I can overtake.
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I find this counterintuitive though.
When I see a car indicating right, I will not overtake as I assume they're going to turn right.
Rather indicate left.
 
Sinbad said:
I find this counterintuitive though.
When I see a car indicating right, I will not overtake as I assume they're going to turn right.
Rather indicate left.
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I make sure it's a stretch of road where there's no chance of turning right, like a mountain pass. Left indication will tell me they are pulling over. :p
 
Dan C said:
I make sure it's a stretch of road where there's no chance of turning right, like a mountain pass. Left indication will tell me they are pulling over. :p
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How do you know they're not indicating because they're about to overtake the donkey cart in front of them though?
 
Dan C said:
In my experience they always use the right indicator to say I can overtake.
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Left...always left. It's logical

Think of it in this way: when someone is turning right, would you ever overtake them on the right? When someone is turning left, you will often pass them on the right
 
imranpanji said:
Left...always left. It's logical

Think of it in this way: when someone is turning right, would you ever overtake them on the right? When someone is turning left, you will often pass them on the right
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They don't keep the indicator on. They just briefly do it for inform you. I'm not saying what is wrong or right, just from what I experienced.
 
Sinbad said:
How do you know they're not indicating because they're about to overtake the donkey cart in front of them though?
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After reading the response in this thread , using the Left flicker to indicate safe to pass is fine.

If someone is indicating Right, one should not be trying to pass anyway so even if they are not turning, it still makes sense.

But to be honest, most of the time I will hold back until my own eyes tell me it is safe to overtake.
 
Dan C said:
They don't keep the indicator on. They just briefly do it for inform you. I'm not saying what is wrong or right, just from what I experienced.
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Am surprised you're still alive to tell us about it
 
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