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Driving Characteristic Directional Indicators

Give them more than a clue where you're going and how you're likely to get there
 
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Drivers, how many times how you been travelling behind / towards another vehicle who's indicating that they intend to turn in front of you, but then do so really slowly... or really (surprizingly) suddenty - causing you to have to make split-second decisions?
This idea involves flashing the indicators of cars at a rate commensurate with the driver's estimated (driving) characteristics (i.e. very slow flsahing if the driver is likely to really take their time.. or very quickly if they're an irratic driver)
(I wanted to add some kind of mobile network to this - such that the car broadcasts both the direction and charactistic to surrounding vehicles to set off alarms, apply brakes/accellerator - but figured I'd stop here. This idea might require a bit more description)
Dub, Nov 02 2010

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       Or just leave enough space so you have time to react without jumping on your brakes etc.   

       Further reliance on drivers actually bothering to let you know that they're about to do something stupid is bound to end in tears.   

       Perhaps a simple sticker on the offending vehicle: "Caution - I drive like a twat."   

       [-]
Twizz, Nov 02 2010
  

       That's Baked, [Twizz] - "BMW"
8th of 7, Nov 02 2010
  

       Thing is, driving around London kind of requires you to drive a bit like a twat - at least compared to driving styles employed in more provincial locations.   

       At the same time, London drivers do seem more defensively "on the ball" and capable of reacting to sudden changes of direction/speed in ways that country drivers most definitely do not. Pulling out at the last minute in front of a London driver is par-for-the-course and generally treated without comment, but would likely provoke a screech of brakes, plenty of skidding and lots of nonsense in, Bournemouth, for example.   

       Normally, as long as everyone is doing the same thing, it all works out fine - the problem arises when someone from one locale finds themselves in a place where people tend to do things differently under the same circumstances.   

       So rather than having a clever sensor that tries to guess what you're going to do next, maybe some standardised way of measuring and communicating your general driving style so that others can make more informed judgements of your temperament, driving style, and general level of knowledge in terms of where you are/where you're going. This way, minicab drivers and Toyota Yaris drivers can be given a wide birth, and folky folks up for the day to look at the smoke can be given an even wider one.
zen_tom, Nov 02 2010
  

       [Twizz] I'm afraid you missed the point. I'm not talking about needing to be given more time or avoiding having to take emergency avoidance ... just being a better informed driver. (though I see that the bit about split-second may have thrown you)
Here's what prompted this post; My bro was driving me around the other day, and we were approaching a car that was approaching a LH turn very *VERY* slowly (I'm in the UK, and drive on the LHS, BTW, so the car was in our lane, at a corner, stopped (or at least very slow) and signalling but not turning in front of us - We could see the rest of the lane was clear as was the lane the other car was turning into) - There was a good deal of distance between us and the hesitant car, on what was essentially an empty, well lit, narrow but fast (countrified) road (i.e. leaving a small country village along a decent A road). We couldn't see any reason for the other driver's hesitancy (it wasn't wet, icy, foggy and the other car wasn't even a Yaris). As we got closer and closer (100-200m) the car still wasn't taking the corner.. {perhaps it'd stopped, we thought, or lost}, then, just as we approached it, the car took the corner - My brother didn't have to brake, but we both thought the other driver was probably overly hesitant - In either case, it'd be better to have known that from a distance - the more distance, the better.
Dub, Nov 02 2010
  

       If the turn signals could talk to the vehicle GPS system, the vehicle could learn appropriately how many feet ahead of an intersection the driver usually applies said signals. That would be valuable data.
RayfordSteele, Nov 02 2010
  

       Drive slower, leave more space, if in doubt slow down and make plenty of space and time for other road users.
pocmloc, Nov 02 2010
  

       [pocmloc] Yes, yes, but better in formed is best! Read my response to [Twizz].
Have you noticed that the amount of road-markings increases with the perceived hazard? (e.g. extra road marknings near schools, playgounds) - well this is just another form of that (in motion)
Dub, Nov 02 2010
  
      
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