Do I Signal To Overtake The Cyclist?

Picture the scene.

On a 30 mph single carriageway, it’s dark and raining hard, up ahead is a sweeping right bend, with a junction to the right.  In front of you is a cyclist, riding really slowly, struggling in the wind and rain.

As you get nearer to the cyclist, you want to overtake, but you are concerned about the slight loss of visibility due to the bend and that junction on the right.  You are now doing 5 mph in 2^nd gear, what to do, what to do. 

“I think there’s enough room for me to overtake, still giving her plenty of room.  I think this road is wide enough.  There’s no-one coming, and that junction to the right is clear too.  I think this is as good a time as any.  I guess when I do go, I better get on with it.  Now do I need to signal to overtake the cyclist?  Let me think.... do I need to signal..... what’s those 2 factors Tom has talked about before.... think, think, THINK! “

Meanwhile, the trail of vehicles behind you get fed up with the delay, and start to overtake you AND the cyclist.  6 cars in total overtake you while you are still doing 5 mph behind the cyclist.

Now you might think this is a bit far fetched.  But this very scenario happened last night on one of my driving lessons in Peterborough.....  all but the last overtaking bit anyway.

  

What would an Examiner make of this if it happened on your Driving Test?  

Well it is a form of what they call ‘undue hesitancy’.  If you have been monitoring my blog you will recall that the Examiners cannot ask you why you did or did not do something, and they can’t mind-read either, so they have to go by results – what actually happens as a result of your driving.  Driving around at 5 mph on a 30 mph behind a cyclist is not their idea of competent driving; can you imagine how snarled up our roads would be if everyone sat behind cyclists when there was good opportunity to overtake.... mayhem!

The signalling issue is an example of how a technical question that you are not used to considering, overtakes the workings of the brain, and everything goes on ‘standby’ to allow your brain time to think it through.  

‘Knowledge is power’ as they say, giving your brain practise at thinking of these technical points in a non-pressure environment is a good idea.  This is precisely why this very scenario is featured on the Learner Q&A Forum accessed via my website.  It has got questions of this type on it, that gives you the chance to run through the thought processes while at home, relaxed.... far better then, than trying to go through that when you have cars behind you, and stress levels are very high.

My advice is to use these features available to you on the website, far better to do the prep now, rather than fail your Driving Test because you were distracted thinking it through.

As ever, please question/comment below - Thank You.